IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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1.1 


11.25 


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Photographic 

Sdences 
Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


^1^^%. 
'4^^^ 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHIVi/ICIVIH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  tnttitute  for  Historical  IMicroreproductions  /  institut  Canadian  da  microraproductions  hiatoriquat 


. 


Tachnical  and  Bibliographic  Notas/Notaa  tachniquas  at  bibliographiquaa 


Th 
to 


Tha  Instituta  haa  attamptad  to  obtain  tha  baat 
original  copy  avaiiabia  for  filming.  Faaturaa  of  thia 
copy  which  may  ba  bibliographically  uniqua. 
which  may  altar  any  of  tha  imagaa  in  tha 
raproduction.  or  which  may  aignificantly  changa 
tha  uaual  mathod  of  filming,  ara  ehackad  balow. 


□   Coiourad  covara/ 
Couvartura  da  couiaur 


D 
D 
D 
D 
D 
D 
D 
D 


D 


□ 


Covara  damagad/ 
Couvartura  andomnuigAa 

Covara  raatorad  and/or  laminatad/ 
Couvartura  raataurAa  at/ou  pallieulAa 

Covar  titia  miaaing/ 

La  titra  da  couvartura  manqua 

Coiourad  mapa/ 

Cartaa  gAographiqua«  an  couiaur 

Coiourad  ink  (i.a.  othar  than  blua  or  black)/ 
Encra  da  couiaur  (i.a.  autra  qua  blaua  ou  noira) 

Coiourad  plataa  and/or  iiluatrationa/ 
Planchaa  at/ou  iiluatrationa  91%  couiaur 

Bound  with  othar  matariai/ 
RalM  avac  d'autraa  documanta 

Tight  binding  may  cauaa  ahadowa  or  diatortion 
along  intarior  margin/ 

La  rm  liura  nwr^  paut  cauaar  da  I'ombra  ou  da  la 
diatoralon  l«  long  da  la  marga  IntAriaura 

Blank  laavaa  addad  during  raatoration  may 
appaar  within  tha  taxt.  Whanavar  poaaibla.  thaaa 
hava  baan  omittad  from  filming/ 
II  aa  paut  qua  cartainaa  pagaa  blanchaa  ajoutAaa 
lora  d'una  raatauration  apparaiaaant  dana  la  taxta. 
maia.  loraqua  cala  itait  poaaibla,  caa  pagaa  n'ont 
paa  «t«  fiimAaa. 


L'Inatitut  a  microfilmi  la  maillaur  axamplaira 
qu'il  lui  a  iti  poaaibla  da  aa  procurar.  Laa  ditaila 
da  cat  axamplaira  qui  aont  paut-4tra  uniquaa  du 
point  da  vua  bibliographiqua.  qui  pauvant  modifiar 
una  imaga  raproduita.  ou  qui  pauvant  axigar  una 
modification  dana  la  mithoda  normala  da  filmaga 
aont  indiquto  ci-daaaoua. 


D 


D 
D 
D 
D 


Coiourad  pagaa/ 
Pagaa  da  couiaur 


Fyl   Pagaa  damagad/ 


Pagaa  andommag^aa 

Pagaa  raatorad  and/01 

Pagaa  raatauriaa  at/ou  p^liiculAaa 

Pagaa  diacolourad.  stainad  or  foxa< 
Pagaa  d*color*as,  tachatAaa  ou  piquias 

Pagaa  datachad/ 
Pagaa  ditach^a 

Showthrough/ 
Tranaparanca 


r~n  Pagaa  raatorad  and/or  laminatad/ 

rri  Pagaa  diacolourad.  stainad  or  foxad/ 

pn  Pagaa  datachad/ 

r~T\  Showthrough/ 


Quality  of  print  variaa/ 
Quality  inigala  da  I'impraaaion 

Includaa  supplamantary  matariai/ 
Comprand  du  matirial  auppMmantaira 

Only  adition  avaiiabia/ 
Saula  idition  diaponibia 

Pagaa  wholly  or  partially  obscurad  by  arrata 
siipa.  tiasuas,  ate.  hava  baan  rafilmad  to 
ansura  tha  bast  possibia  imaga/ 
Laa  pagaa  totalamant  ou  partialiamant 
obacurcias  par  un  fauillat  d'arrata.  una  paiure, 
ate,  ont  M  filmtes  A  nouvaau  da  fapon  A 
obtanir  la  maiilaura  imaga  poaaibla. 


Th 
po 
of 
fill 


Or 
ba 
th( 
ai< 
ot 
fin 
ale 
or 


Th 
ah 
TH 
wt 

Ml 
dif 
•n 
ba 
rig 
rac 
mi 


Additional  commanta:/ 
Commantairaa  supplAmantairaa.- 


Wrinkled  pigM  may  film  slightly  out  of  focus. 


s 


Thia  itam  is  filmad  at  tha  raduction  ratio  ehackad  balow/ 

Ca  document  eat  film*  au  taux  da  reduction  indiquA  ci-dassoua. 


10X 

14X 

18X 

22X 

26X 

30X 

y 

12X 


16X 


20X 


24X 


28X 


32X 


Th«  copy  fllm«d  h«r«  hat  bMn  raproducMl  thanks 
to  th«  ganarotity  of: 

Nmv  Brunswick  Muatum 
Sakit  John 

Tha  imagat  appaaring  hara  ara  tha  bast  quality 
possibia  eonsMaring  tha  condition  and  laglbillty 
of  tha  original  copy  and  in  kaaping  with  tha 
filming  contract  spacif icatlons. 


Original  copiao  in  printad  papar  covars  ara  fllmad 
baginning  with  tha  front  covar  and  anding  on 
tha  last  paga  with  a  printad  or  illustratad  impras- 
sion.  or  tha  back  covar  whan  appropriata.  All 
othar  original  capias  ara  fllmad  baginning  on  tha 
first  paga  with  a  printad  or  illustratad  impras- 
sion.  and  anding  on  tha  last  paga  with  a  printad 
or  illustratad  imprassion. 


Tha  last  racordad  frama  on  oach  microficha 
shall  contain  tha  symbol  •^^  (moaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  tha  symbol  V  (moaning  "END"), 
whichavar  appllas. 


L'axamplaira  film*  fut  raprodult  grica  A  la 
gAnArosltA  da: 

New  Brunswick  IMuMum 
Saint  John 

Las  imagaa  sulvantas  ont  AtA  raprodultas  avac  la 
plus  grand  soln.  compta  tanu  da  la  condition  at 
da  la  nattatA  da  ravamplaira  filmA.  at  an 
conformitA  avac  las  conditions  du  contrat  da 
fllmaga. 

Las  axamplairas  orlglnaux  dont  la  couvartura  an 
paplar  ast  ImprlmAa  sont  f ilmAs  an  cnmmanpant 
par  la  pramlar  plat  at  an  tarminant  solt  par  la 
darniAra  paga  qui  comporta  una  amprainta 
d'Imprasslon  ou  d'lllustratlon,  sole  par  la  sacond 
plat,  salon  lo  cas.  Tous  las  autras  axamplairas 
orlglnaux  sont  fllmAs  mn  commanqant  par  la 
pramlAra  paga  qui  comporta  una  amprainta 
d'Imprasslon  ou  d'lllustratlon  at  •n  tarminant  par 
la  darniAra  paga  qui  comporta  una  talla 
amprainta. 

Un  das  symbolas  suivants  apparaltra  sur  la 
darniAra  imaga  da  chaqua  microficha.  salon  la 
cas:  la  symbols  — »-  signifia  "A  8UIVRE".  la 
symbolo  V  signifia  "FIN". 


Maps,  platas.  charts,  ate.  may  ba  filmad  at 
diffarant  raduction  ratios.  Thosa  too  larga  to  ba 
antiraly  inciudad  in  ona  axposura  ara  filmad 
baginning  in  tha  uppar  laft  hand  cornar,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  framas  as 
raquirad.  Tha  following  diagrams  illustrate  tha 
method: 


Las  cartas,  planches,  tableaux,  etc..  peuvent  Atre 
fllmAs  A  des  taux  da  rAductlon  diffArents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  Atre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  cllchA,  11  est  filmA  A  partir 
da  Tangle  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  A  droite. 
et  de  haut  en  has.  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  nAcessaire.  Las  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mAthode. 


1  2  3 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

ih0»-  S 


^.'^■■■' 


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X 


I 


I 


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I 


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■J-    - 


INTERESTING 


AUTHENTIC    NARRATiypS 


or  TBI  WMT 


REMARKABLE   SHIPWR£OKiS» 

FIBES,  FAMIN£S,  OALAMmSS,  PROVIDENTIAL 

PELIVEBANCES,  1I«D  LAMENTABLE 

Dl8A8TBlt#N  THE  SEAS, 


MMTUOt 


J 


■■«*'■ 


»4r|i  wom& 


By  R«  THOMAS,  A.  M, 


EmbelUthet  with  ttttileMVt  jiMn  froM  orlgiiM  <tilf— 


HARTFORD: 
PUBUSHED  BY  SILAS  ANDRUS  & 
,    1850. 


.1      v 


;■  -  HA-i 


|'«* 


"'*^-'''f*ik. 


'"''M' 


:"'?■' 


asan 


«»a 


S«RE 


I 


1 


vK 


vr  snvABD,  ouT»a  im  oo. 

H*>  B,  Wmw  MiMt 


* 


''■"TtWB^"- JW  uaiwnii  -i 


■Hi!- 


VtM    ~..»J<.7l':iA«e3J)l 


H 


I       '  ▼ 


l?» 


THE 


REMARKAB]L<1S    8ItIPWRECK3. 


■^ 


.♦if: 


•«J. 


LOSS  OF  THE  OitOSYi^OR  INDUMAN. 
On  the  Coaai  of,  (^pwria,  August  4, 1782. 


In  the  meiaibhoiy  catalogue  (^  human  woes,  few 
things  &F|iM  more  eminently  disastrous  than  the  gene-  , 
ral  fye  oi  me  Grosvenor's  crew.  Shipwreck  is  alwaja. 
even  ih  its  mildest  form,  a  calamity  which  fills  the  mind 
with  horror ;  hut,  what  is  instant  death,  compared  to  Ih^ 
situation  of  those  who  had  hunger,  tmrst,  axid  naked- 
iiess  to  contend  with;  who  only  escaped  the  lory  of  t^# 
waves  to  enter  into  conflicts  with  the  savages  of  the  lOr 
test,  or  the  greater  savages  <»f  the  human  race ;  who  were 
cut  off  from,  all  civilized  society,  and  fdt  the  poroliQfi^a- 
tioh  of  life  to  he  only  the  lengthenipd  pains  oii^^t .,... 

The  Groiivenor  sailed  from  Tiinicomale,  Ji]aa,|,3(il^* 
1782,  on  hei*  homeward  hound  voyage,  and  met  wifh  QO 
inemorahle  occurrence  till  the  4th  of  August^  the  flMal 
day  on  which  she  went  on  shore.  ,,, 

'  During  the  two  preceding  day?  it  l^ad  ti^^i^  r^f 
hard,  the  sk;^  was  overcast,  so  thut  they  wf^  wwit^  $o 
take  an  Observation;  and  it  is  likewise  proback,,th%tt 
from  their  vicinity  W  the  shore,  they  had  been  #l)9l4 
out  of  their  course  by  currents.  Ilie  comb^naqon^ 
these  circumstances  may  account  for  the  error  in  their 
reckoning,  which  occasioned  the  loss  of  the  ship.  It  i^ 
pekrs  that  captain  Coxson  had  declared,  a  few,,|i«tui8> 
before  the  disaster  took  place,  that  he  computed  the  jAiipif 
to  be  at  least  one  himdred  leagues  from  thei^ea^ragl4aa% 
•nd  this  opiHion  Itilled  them  into  a  false  securi^.        '  , 


9  BBMAKEABLI   SBIPWSIOU. 

John  Hynes,  one  of  the  survivors,  being  aloft  with 
some  others,  in  the  nig;ht-watch,  saw  breakers  ahead, 
and  asked  his  compa.nions  if  they  did  not  think  land 
was  near.  In  this  opinicb;  tlkSy  all  coincided,  and  has- 
tened to  inform  the  third  mate,  who  was  the  officer 

ran  to  the  cabm  to  aconaint  the  captain,  who  instantly 
ordered  to  wear  ship.  Bitf  Vfere  mis  could  be  accom- 
plished, her  keel  stru<$k  iVfl&  neat  force;  in  an  instant 
every  person  (^  IxiiMrd  haslcnef  «n;^ie  deck|  and  appro- 
henrabn  and  1iotr6r  were  jmjHressed  on  every  counte- 
nance. ^¥\  i^  • 

The  captain  endeavored  to  disjMOie  fears  of  the  pas- 
sengers, and  beenclthem  to  be  conl|NDq^  The  pumps 
#ere  iounde^,  but  no  watet  found  in  th|.h«;)ld,  as  m 
Bhip^s  stern  lay  high  dm  the  rocks.  In  a  fe  w^thiniiM  the 
wind  blew  off  tlii0  shor^,  which  filled  tl^em  withl|itpre- 
htthsions  lest  they  shbuld  be  driven  out  to  seft,  and  thus 
li^  )!he  only  chance  tl^ey  had  of  escaping.  The  powder 
laiM  Ivtts  By  tt^s  time  roll  of  wfl^te'r«^e  miasts  were  cut 
''in^t:  #iifadat  any  e^t,  and  the  ship  bemg  driven 
iHthm  a  cable's  length  of  the  shore,  all  nopes  of  saving 
Hit'vtoiished.  ,    *-         *•..»  ;•  -lo 

'  TOpdlMiaal  prospect  |nrOduced  distrsM^tion  and  despair^ 
and  ir1f%itp0ssible  t6.  desctibe  the  scene  that  ensued. 
'J^f»^-^mo  -vreie  thoiM  c(^mp6sed  set  atxMit  forming  a 
^if^  hii^l^  by  means  of  it  to  convey  the  women,  the 
^Mbrifti,*and  the  sicX  to  land-  Meanwhile  three  men 
attempted  tp  swim  to  thf  shore  with  the  deep-sea  line ; 
0^  petiiKira  id  the  attei^pt,  but  theothpr  two  succeeded.; 
B^riheie  %hat(rser  was,  at  length)  dvrried.,.^  the  shore 

'  "^'^ortened  ^und  the  rocks,  m  which  operation  they 
'^HMsted  by  great  numbers  of  the  natives,  who  had 
IM^tHi  t6  the  water's  edge  to  witness  the  uncom^ 
iMfn  sight.  4'    , 

~  "Thb  raft  beinff  by  this  time  coinpleted,  was  launched 
dic^boafd}  and  lour  men  got  upon  it  to  assist  the  ladiea; 
mit  t^ifij^  had  tielircely  taken  their  station  before  the  ha w- 
•ii^^'%filid^  lAras  ftuit^ed  a]K>uiid  it,  mapp^  in  two,  hgr 


4 


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cut 
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the 
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lad 


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Iw- 


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LOtr  OP  TU  «MffWOft  nmAMAN. 


J 


whieh  aooidflDt  it  was  apM|»  and  thiM  oC  tfad  »«»  diownr 
•d.  In  this  dilemmA,  vfwf  ooo  began  to  think  of  tm 
boot  means  of  saving  hiniaelt  Hie  yawl  and  ioUy-ji^M 
had  aheady  been  daahed  to  piecoi  by  t^  TiolflOfio  of  the 

Kurf ;  so  that  the  oaky  nieaM  ol  pmsefvatkkn  now  )iA 
was  by  the  hawser  iMidt  iipl  tot  ' 
hand.    Seteral  gol  aiA 
others,  to  tho  niiHbeitOl 
attempt  ■  ,     '^^'^^^^^^' 

The  ship  soon. 
Tho  windi^tt  liiiiiQii  fpi^  pimrx 
the  oM  qi]ane%,iii^|MiKf*4y(  to  ttiff, 
stance  which  CQDtldkhH||aPMi^  ^  ^  MMH^^i^ 
those  on  boaid,  wl^jt|l>^  411  the  iP<;q[H^|^  Iff^ 

»  wind  aiid  i«we«  iH»W'1|np#»« 
WioQk  lon  wWob  IIIBiMWW^  WMf 
TCBt  niitwHr^ne  and  «f^  the  deok  splitting  m  two.  In 
thii  4Utiess  theiy  erowded  upon  th«  ftfUfbotatd  <lii#)^« 
which  sooQ^floated  into  sbopl  waler^lhe  otM  pMtiof 
the  wreck  breaking  off  those  heavy  seas  whi^  would 
otherwise  have  ingnlphed  or  dasM  them  to  pisoes. 
Throuslh  this  foi;liuiate  incidsQjt,  all  on  board,  even  thf 
ladies  and  ehildran,  got  safe  onrphore,  ezoept  the  cook's 
mate,  nblack,  who,  being  drundE,  could  not  be, prevailed 
npoii  to  leave  the  WDBck.  ;j 

Befinre  this  arduous  business  was  irell  tiA|f|ted  nu^ 
came  oni,«nd.  tlie  ^tives  having  rjetireo,  ^veral  Wif 
were  lighted  .wiHilhel  irom  the  wreck»  apd  the  whole 
company  supped  on  euoh,  provlt^ians  i^  they  pid|i^llB 
on  the  snoie.  Two  tents  were  Jivmed  of  fai]^  that  haa 
drifted  to  ^  shore^  Mid  in  these  the  ladies  jwpra  >fi;.m 
repose,  while  the  men  wandei^  about  in  seaicb»of  such 
articles  as  mig^t  b&  0^  serviee. 

On  the  morning  of  the  5th,  the  n^ves  i)stnrne4^  Ai^ 
without  ceremonWfpurried  off  whatever  suited  Ifaeir 
fancy.  This  conjipt  excited  a  thousand  apprehwiions. 
particularly  in  the  minds  ttf  the  femideq/lbr  ti^^  pftreoiipf 
safety;  but  observing  that  the  savages  oofitei|fi||  .^Wf 
iilves  wi0i  i^nnder,  their  ^wrs  were  somewhat  idlaye^ 

The  ne#t  dfiy  wm  employed  in  opUeoting  tnjgipWir'W} 


•■*•**» 


*<n<t  > 


MMEkauL  MnrirBioiA  ucyi 


the  arttolet  that  might  be  xmM  in  their  journey  to  tht 
CTftpe,  t6  which  they  impradently  reiolved  to  direct  th«to 
eourse;  a  reeolution  which  inirolved  them  in  complin 
oftted  misery,  and  whieh  can  be  justified  by  no  wise  pria-^ 
dple.    From  the  wreck  they  might  easily  have  built  ■ 


1  capable  of  coMaining  tkisoi  all,  and  by  coasting 
ahmf,  ihefmidMhttire  immmnI  tfwnearest  of  the  Dutch 
■ettteilienti  Wk  liftlf  «Mi<tMM|et  or  viek  to  which  thtoy 
wera  then  eaboeing  \\immf^m.  Distress,  howerer, 
iemitfani  Migvm  vmA-wUf'  BiiUBBli^^df  mind ;  so  the 
eiew  of  Ihe  oro«f«iior.  h»ti(  '*''^^'*'HP^  ^  dangers 
of  the  sea,  appeir  to  nave  ^qpHJdSfdl  u^  as  the  most 
desirable  altematiTe,  withMH  Meeting  on  the  almost 
insuperable  obstacles  that  lay  hi  tl^  way. 

'On  ezaminhig  tiieir  stores,  they^imd  themsehres  in 
yrtiusiion  of  two  casks  of  flour  and  a  till  of  mrk,  that  had 
Men  washed  on  the  beach,  and  some  arrabk,  which  the 
(Oaptain  prudently  ordered  to  be  staved,  lest  the  ilatiTes 
AktaM  get  at  it,  and  by  intoxication  incieaso  their  natu- 
ral ferocity. 

Captain  Ooxson  now  eaUed  together  the  survivors,  and 
havh^  divided  th^  provisions  among  them,  asked  if  thev 
eonsented  to  his  continuing  in  the  command,  to  which 
they  unanimously  agreed.  He  then  infermed  them,  that 
from  the  best  calculation  he  could  make,  he  was  in 
hb|Mfi^  of^tieing  able  to  reach  some  of  the  Dutch  settle- 
tttehtS  hi  Ifteen  or  sixteen^days.  In  this  calculation  the 
capt&ln'  was  probably  not  much  mistaken.  Snbsequem 
cmirvations  prove  that  the  Grosvenor  must  haveoeen 
wv^ked  between  the  twenty-seventh  and  twenty-eighth 
diigreiBs  of  sontti  latitude ;  and  lis  'the  Dutch  cokmies  ex- 
Hmd  beyond  the  thtrty-flrst  degree,  they  mi^t  havi 
aeeom|4ished  the  journey  withm  the  time  specified,  had 
n<Criim  intervened  ana'  retarded  ^fieit  progress. 

C^eilr  thing  being  arranged,  ttMr  set  out  on  theh 
mtmtik  the  seveatm,  leaving  belipl  only  an  old  East- 
bid^  sddielr,  who,  being  lame,  preferred  trusting  him- 
Slilf  16  ^e  natives  tiU  some  morer  ftivorable  <qpportumty 
of  getting  away  should  present  itiilf ;  adding^  that  he 
fiilm  iir  well  die  with  them  as  en#his  life  on  the  way 
wiui^|Ndn  snd  hunger.  | 


LOSS  or  nU  MOtTINOI  MBUMAN. 


As  tb«y  moved  forward  thoy  w«Pt4bUoir«d  hy 
of  the  natives,  while  olhen  rtmeiaed  m%  the  wteok.- 
Thois  who  accompenied  them  Dlundeiidthemi  froni  time 
to  time,  of  whatever  they  liked,  and  ionelimee  threw 
stones  at  them.  After  pvooeeding  a  lew  milee  th«y  were; 
met  \fy  a  party  of  about,  thirty  Mthe  nativea,  whoae  hair 
was  iaetened  up  »  a  o<i«ieai  .fcrm,  and  tiMMMDMjMtkiit- 
ed  red.  Among  thefpwi^^^.maii  who  ap^ke  Dutch,* 
who,  it  aikorwaras  app9ived,ripw  a  runaway  slave  from 
the  Cape,  on  aeoount  of  some  criiaes,  and  was  named; 
Trout  When  tlM«  man^pame  up  to  the  English  he  in- 
quired wh6  they  were,  an^whMher  they  weee  going; 
Finding  by  theinmawevs  tliat  they  had  been  easi  away, 
he  informed  them,  4|iat  their  intended  jonnMty  to  the 
Cape  would  be  attended  n^  unspeakable  difficnltl» 
from  the  nutiyes,  the  wild  beasts,  and  the  nature  of  the 
country  throujgh  which  theyr  would  have  to  pass. 

Though  this  did  not  contribute  to  raise  their  spirits  they 
tried  to  engage  him  aa  a' guide,  but  no  argumente  eonld 
i  prevail  upon  him  to  comply  with  their  wishes.  Fladf 
tag  all  tneur  scdicitations  firuitless,  they  pursued  thefar 
journey  £ot  four  or  five  dayi»  during  which  they  wen 
constantly  surrounded  by  the  natives,  who  tMK  from 
them  whatever  they  pleased,  but  invariably  letifed  en 
the  apphiach  of  night.  ; < , V  ,, 

As  they  preceded  they  saw  many  villagesy  ifhleiii 
they  caremlly  avoided,  that  they  might  be  lessaypoiid 
to  the  iusults  of  the  natives.    At  length  they  came  to  #■ 
deep  ffully,  where  they  were  met  by  three  Camres,  mam^ 
with  lances,  which  they  held  several  timqs  to  ttie  oap» 
tain's  thrQs^l,    Irritated  beyond  ^1  patience  by  their  oon* 
duct,  he  wrenched  one  or  the  lances  itom  tnekr  handa 
and  broke  it.    Of  this  the  natives  seemed  to  take  no  uo- 
tice,  and  w^t  awayj  but  the  next  day,  ou  ooming  to  a 
lar»B  villfiga,  they  tiiipe  foiwd  the  three  men,  with  three 
or  tout  hundred  of  their  countrymen,  aH  armed. >with 
lances  and  targets,    iui  the  English  advanced  tliM  wfif 
stopped  by  &eae  people,  who  began  to  piller  and  iUfWt , 
thfin,  and  at  kst  £dU  upon  and  beat  th^m.  ;  . 

Oonoeivuigtbat  it  irjiji  t^  intenipn  of  the  n^yn^m.- 


j*^*ifiiTi(ri**^„  I  ,  I  iiiidimpvi 


\ 


■m 


■*f'  nnUkUMAmLE  msartttitivjLB. 


0.1 


kiU  them,  they  fokned  ia  rei61tifioii  to  ^tefead  th«ttis«l%ef 
to  th«  last  extremitf .  Accordingly,  placing  the  womeo^ 
the  children,  wad  me'niek  at  some  distance,  the  remain^ 
der,  to  th«  number  e^eigbty  or  ninety,  engaged  thenr  op- 

Knents  in  a  kind  of  mnniiig  fight  for  upwards  of  two^ 
«irs,  when  our  eountiyiiuit,  gaining  an  enuQcnce,  wheri^ .; 
they  epuld  mn  be  ikiitouiilM^  a  kind  of  parley  took  itlac^f 
In  tfaie  unifettunate  enc^uHt^V  HoLtuiy  were  wouncted  d<i' 
both  sides,  but  none  killi^'  j|lbK  a  pacification  had 
taken  place,  the  EInglish  eut  ^e  bnttons  from  thei^ 
coats,  and  presented  them  to  the  natires.  upon  which ' 
they  Went  away  iind  returned  Ao  mole.  '  *  ^^'f;^  ^^'^^^ 
f  The  ft^wkig  night  they  were  t^n^ed  i^lth  the  ndse, 
of  wild  beasfS,  so  that  the  men  wer^  obliged  to  keep; 
nMUch  to  preveiit-theit  t04  near  approach.  What  a;[ 
dteikcyhl  situation,  especially  for  females  of  delicate  ha^' 
bits,  and  so  lately  possessing  all  the  luxuries  that  eastenr* 
r^ti^Meiit  could  efibrd ! 

When  morning  aniyed  they  were  again  joiiicd^'ly 
Trout)  who  had  been  oti  board  the  wrec^k,  and  had  load-l 
ed himself  with  Tarious  articles  of  iron  and  c0pper,  which; 
be  w;a8  caFryiUg  to  hiiB  iMBtbitation.  He  cautioned  them  • 
agaiiitst  making  any  lesistt^ce  in  future,  for  as  they  werei 
nM  ^imislied  wi^  aby  weapons  of  d^nce,  oppositioi^ 
would  <mly  tend  to  irritate  t^  natiyes  and  increase  qb-' 
stnt^ne.    Wifh  this  advicfe  he  left  them.  ^   -^ 

Ha^i%  made  some  progresis  during  the  day,  Hliey 
agreed  to  pass  the  nig^t  near  a  deep  ^ly,  but  w^re  so 
dutwbed  by  the  bowlings  of  wild  beasts  that  they  could 
get  but  iittte  sleep.  Though  a'  large  fire  ^as  kept  up  to 
intimida^  these  unwelcome  visitets,  t^ey  came  so  near; 
as  to  occasion  a  general  alarm. 

ThCnext  day,  as  they  were  advancing,  a  party  of  lia-*^ 
lives  came  down  up<»i  them,  and  plundered  them,  among 
other  thin^,  of  their  tinder-box,  SjB^  aod  steel,  which 
proved  an  irreparaWe  kfls.    ITi^y  ^ere  iibw^  obliged  16' 
carry  with  them  a  firebrand  by  tilms,  the  natives  fol- ■ 
lowing  them  until  it  Iras  dlikiost  dark. '  At  lei^th  they 
came  to  a  smaH  river,  where  diey  detettnitiea  to  stc^' 
during  tifo  night    Before  the  natives  iretiM  ^ey  be- 


•''^iP? 


LOSS  09  iW  Oij^STSKOA  IKBIAMAN. 


Ui 


^'•^  T 


k'cfi 
to 


.«i. 


ea^lAe  moni  iufolsa^  th«w«7^  rob^g  the  gvnUemm  iif 
their  wa^cheS)  and  thel«di«3of  the  dituvonds  which  (hey . 
had  secareted  m  their  hair.    Oppositiea  was  jp,  vain;  the 
attempt  to  resist  tiiese  outrages  heii|g:||^rodm;ti!ve  of  fioesh 
insults,  and  even  hlowf.  ;^  .^^i 

The  following  day  they  crossed  the  river.  Here  their. 
provisionabjBing  nearly  ^peoded)  and  the  delay  and  &- 
tigue  occasioned  hy  trp^yely|fg  with  the  womeA-  andffihil- 
dren  being  yery  gpreat,  the  sailora  began  to  marmnr,  and 
each  seemed  resolved  fo  shjtft  for  himself;  ^  Accordingly 
the  captain,  with  Mr.  iiOgie,  the  fijst  mate,i^i^h}^  wile^ 
the  third  mate,  colonel  Jamef  sfpid  lady,  J|!iir.  mi|4. 1^* 
ilosea,  Mji,  Newman,  a  passenge::.  ihe  ,purser,j  the  sur- 
geon, aiudrfiye  of  the  children,  agreed  to  ke^  toge^theri 
and  travel  |is  before;  many  of  the  sailor^  wercf also  pna- 
vailed  upon  to  attetnd  them,  b^  t)ie  libfral  promifisi^pjt 
Uie  p^songers.  ^  ^di  m  : ilnly, :        u<i,  ij^it 

On  the  other  hapd,  Mr.  Shaw,  the  second  mate;  Mr. 
Trotter,  ^  fwth,  Mr.  Karris,  the  fifth,  captain  Talbot. 
Iilessrs.  WiWaiBs  and  Taylor,  jM.  D' Es^nnettOj  several 
other  gentjijeinen,  and  their  servants,  togethei  with  e,  nupK 
her  ot  ih<3  seamen,  im  all  forty- three  perspns,  among; 
whomvr^s  Hynes,l^om  i^^Wmuch  i&matipn  wai 
fl^ri^furds  obtained,  resdyed  to  hasten  fbrwn^  Ai, 
y^l^^  gentleman  of  tho  nsune  of  l^aw,  seven  or  eight 
years  of  age,  crying  after  one  of  the  passengers^  t^ey 
agreed  to  take  him  with  them,  and  to  carry  himl^ytufns 
)y^en  tired.  .  ,  ,) 

This  separation  was  equally  fatal,  cruel,  and  iippoUtip; 
however,  the  second  mate's  party  having  been  stopjped 
by  a  rivei^,  they  once  more  joined  with  great  satisfaction,, 
and  travelled  in  company  the  whole  of  that  day  and  paict 
of  the  next.  |  ,' 

Th^  pow  arrived  at  a  large  village,  where  they  ioiind 
Trout,  who  introduced  his  wife  ana  child  to  them,  and 
begged  a ,  piece  of  pork.  He  informed  them  that  this 
was  his  residence,  and  repeated  his  former  declaration, 
thalk  the  natives  would  not  suffer  him  to  depart,  eM^n^if^ 
hjf  1  were  inclined  to  return  to  his  own  country. 
Qpwe^f  Qong^ijiMuucattd  various  articles  of  inlEb: 


1* 


lMiAtWiW.1  8BIPWMMK8. 


MIOJ 


i<^miBl'#^Htelr  Idilri^  for  whieh  ^  made  due  «e^' 
knf^todgineiits ;  vnt  it  ii  to  be  limM»ted  that  he  coukl 
Ddt  lie  indtioed  i»  ettend  hie  senrioee^  ot  nthet  that  hie 
cikales'  and  <lHlMctel<  lendeied  hira  deoigMDUs  to  be 
trusted,  ^nd  fearful  of  truHting  hihiielf  among  Chri»- 
tbna.       *^ 

Duziiiif  0At  eonTersafioii  with  Trout^  the  natives 
sntiNntn^  them  in  numbeiii  and  continued  lo  follow 
them  till  duA.  The  two  conrnMaiiis  passed  tlie  night 
together,  btit  thiii  diMress,  which  ougiit  to  hare  been 
the  bo^' oif  ^pfty.  was  unfortunately  perverted  into  an 
occasio^  for  disamction  and  complaint 

Their  proriisiOns  running  very  shorty  a  party  went 
down  tb  uli  Sea-^side  to  seek  for  shell-fii^  on  the  rocks, 
and  fotdid  a  considerable  quantity  of  oystens,  muscles, 
andlhntM^  These  iiir^ie' .divided  among  the  women, 
the  chilaren,  and  the  sick ;  for  the  tide  happening  to  come 
in  Dei^  tb^))*  had  collected  a  sufficient  stock,  some  of 
the  wretched  troop  were  (iMiged  to  {mt  up  im^  a  rery 
scaht)^  allowance.  After  a  repast  which  ratfi^  excited 
than  gratifi^  their  appetites,  they  continued  their  march, 
ind  ii%out  noon  reached  a  small  village,  where  an  old 
ittifh  Mpprbached  them,  armc^  with  a  hmce,  ^hich  he 
leyellM^  making  at  the  sam^  time  a  noise  somewhat 
ral^blm|;  the  report  of  a  musket.  Froin  this  circtUh-i 
sliM!e^  ^t  18  Ijyfobable, ,  he  was  acquainted  with  the  use 
df  fife-irms,  and  appr^ended  they  Would  kill  his  cattle, 
for  he  immediately  drove  his  herd  into  the  kraajl ;  ah 
j^btost^y  irhere  they  arb  always  secured  uijIiNi  the  ap- 
piBii'rkhce  of  danger,  apd  during  the  night.  The  old 
m^h  took  no  farther  notice  of  the  English,  but  they  Were 
followed  by  some  of  the  other  inhabitants  of  the  village, 
who  behaved  extremely  ill. 

:'^The  filial  s^](>aration  now  took  place;  thev  parted  to 
lif^t  no  niore.  In  adopting  this  resolution  they  appeat 
to  have  been  influenced  by  motives  which  had,  at  least, 
tlie  sj^iotis  appearance  of  reason.  They  conceived, 
1^  pursuing  different  routes,  and  travelling  in  nnali 

,.  jes,  they  should  be  less  the  6^ect  of  jealousy  to  ^ 

itives,  ana  could  the  more  ea.mf  procure  subsisiende; 


A 


LOSS  or  TIB  CMMTINOm  motuks. 


111 


To  eovmti^dnisSi  !Ii«m  adtaiitage%  ho#eire#^ 
tfiat  unity  of  action,  Aat  syBtematio  dii^^tioB,  wliich  a 
pradent  superior  can  communicate  to  those  under  his 
care;  and  by  rejeetiiig  eetabUshed  authority,  Ifaey  soon 
split  into  parties  guided  enly  by  caprice^  aiid  swayed 
by  temporary  Yiew^.  After  all,  Uiey  aid  not  part  with- 
out eYucing  those  amotions  so  himorabk  t»%uman  na- 
ture :  their  mnfbrtunes  had,  in  some  measure,  leteUed 
cUstinctions,  and  the  services  of  the  lowest  were  regarded 
aa  tokens  of  friendship,  not  expressions  <tf  duty. 

From  tiiiis  period  iha  £iite  ofthe  captain,  and  his  asso- 
ciates, is  almost  wholly  unknown.  >Bv^  imagination 
cannot  form  a  scene  of  deeper  distress  than  what  tfaA 
delicate  and  tender  sex,  and  the -innocent  childsen,  must 
have  experienced.  From  the  accounts  of  some  of  die 
party  who  survived  their  distresses,  and  sube<|yuait  in<- 
quiries,  it  is  jHrobable,  that  Uie  hrnd  of  death  soon  re- 
leased them  from  their  accumulated  ills;  though  Uie 
Sublio  maad  was  long  harassed  with  the  bcliof  that  a 
)w  had  been  deemed  to  worse  than  death  amoog  the 
natives. 

The  separation  being  dedded  upon,  the  party  wlueh 
had  attached  itself  io  the  seccmd  mate  travelled  tiUlH 
was  quite  dark,  when,  arriving  at  a  ccmvenient  sjpotf  they 
kindled  a  fire  bxsA  reposed  for  the  ni^t 

Next  day  they  proceeded,  as  they  c(x^tured,  thirty 
miles;  aud  though  they  saw  great  numbers  of  the  na^ 
tives  t^ey  received  from  them  not  the  least  mol^tatioo. 
Towards  the  close  of  the  day  they  reached  an  extensive 
wood,  and  being  fearful  of  entering  it,  lest  they  ihiglit 
lose  their  way,  they  spent  a  restless  night  on  its  verge, 
being  terribly  alarmed  by  the  bowlings  of  vn^d  beasts. 

They  continued  their  route  the  following  day  tiU  noon, 
without  any  other  food  than  wild  sorrel  and  such  berries 
as  they  observed  the  birds  to  peck  at.  None  ti  the  lii^ 
tives  made  their  appearance.  The  wanderers,  lamBgr 
reached  a  point  of  the  rocks,  found  some  shell-firii,  ana 
after  refre^ing  themselves  they  advanced  tiU  they  came 
to  the  banks  of  a  large  river,  where  they  reposed. 

Next  morning,  fiadi^^  the  river  very  broad  and  dsafv 
2 


r  ^VS*it-^ 


I* 


MM. 


?!')  I 


«i&  80fiiral  cmNIm  conpaof^  Imiif^  ufaabto  tor  -iwHn,  ihe)^' 
HMolvi^  UK  IUhi#)  its  «indiBg%:  itod'flwk  •one  ^lae^ 
wtereift  WM  AmiIkM* t-  Ia  thi&wair they  poped  manf 
^tUA§«B,  the  iaiiabitante  ol  whiek  viie  toe  nHidh>  alaifv 
ed  to  yiebb  than  any  assiaiaBoO.  ■  Fumiiiig  iliv  eoiirae 
of . the  iiver ^a  ^steuideitebk  wmt/ and  neitfindiiis  it  be- 
''ome  naimiPiir,  thef  datannaed  m^oMislniet  eataawTaM, 
«  kind  of  faft,  in  oraer<  to  crboa  it^  Tiiis>  keing»  aifscSed, 
vlitbaiiefa  materiala  aa  ^lay  Ibund'  9tk  tfce  b«MM^  thoas' 
w^ho  could  not  imrim  were  fdaeed  upeii  Hie  floaty  whidi 
h9m%  nnbeUed  by  ^  other^'  they  aH:  Onesed  it  ki;  safety, 
thou|^  taa  li^viw  kras  con^puted  to  be' not  less  ^an  two 
iniles  ©rer.mklJ. -.fayn'^'b-  ••  ■  vmm  ^rnmi^ 

:  It  wasabw'tfanee days  sikce  tlie3r kad' left  4ie sea,  and' 
dimng>  that  period  they  had  eeardely  takea*  aoy  non* 
r4skment^at  water  and  a  little  wildr  sorrel;  They  there^ 
fiave  agem  diveoted  tkekr  course  to  tk«  shore,  where  they 
wdre  fiivtuiiate  enou§h  to  find  abuiidaMee  of  skell*fish, 
whieh  afibrded  them  a-  very  seMonabi^  reAestenent 

.Aftsv  foUoBlriBg  the  tr(^<dings  of  tho  eoasi  fet  three  or 
four  days,  during  which  the  natives  suffered  them  to 
pimi  wklmiit  molestation^  ipenetratk^  a  pktkfkiss  wood, 
litiire,  I  perhaps,  Ho  human  beii%  ever  trod,  uneertain' 
ft^k^/Wfyito  pffoo^ed,  iAcanimodMl  by  tile  heat,  and  ex- 
hausted by  the  fatigues  of  their  mai«j^,  ^fiy  were  isiiiliost 
viiady  tofaink,  when  they  reaOh^d  the  summit  of  a  hill. 
lieeetiiey  rested,  and  had  %»  satiiiifa«iti«»n«o  see  a  v^ 
*iBiia  plauk  before  them,  thfotigh  wh^  a  fti«  flitream 
iBeaniiered^  As  the  wild  beasts,  however^  wbre  aceus^ 
teiiisd^  in  their  nocturnal  prowlkigs,  to  resort  to  tliis  place 
for  water,  the  situation  of  the  travelled  was  perilous, 
ind  sabject  tO' continual  alanns.  ' 

iwL  tiie  morning  one  of  tile  party  as^mded  a  lofty  tree 
ce  obaehre  the  trendings  of  the  coast,  afker  which  they 
re^unikl  tkeiff  course,  a«id  entered  another  wood  just  as* 
tkenisht  set  in^  Harmg  passed  It  by  paths  which  the 
#ild  beasts  aionek^  made,  ^tey  again  reached  the  sea-^' 
eaaat  Here  they  made  firos,  whick,  after  the  fktigues^ 
ihey  had  i:>ndjBrgone,  was  a  toilsome  business,  and  tMiW^ 
kplMkeaitka  oysters  they  had  MleeMd,  to  madte  ^i^ 


^tM^ 


,.  ( 


LOSS 


TU  MM»STtKOft   tMHAMAN. 


M 


t( 


tomn.  On  tliMi  spot  ibcy  tefoaed,  buf  found  nt  "iTaufK  '' 
.  N«xt  day'^  the  wandsrira,  iu  tke  oomM  ef '  thisir  kmV- 
Qey,  bad  tl^  good  fartunt  fea  discd^er  d  deitd  iHiaks. 
vhitih  siglit  in  theuMproseni  siliiatkHi  afibrdaift  them  no 
litila  satitlGtetioal  ilia  waat  of  a  knifia  to  ent  it  tip  pre- 
Tdhtad  them  ftom  takmg  fnU  advaaJcitga  of  tMa  Mseiden- 
tal  supply  r  9ome  of  them^  though  in  the  ekfremity  of 
hunger,  hauaeated  thia  food:  wile  othera,  Bsatiite  ir 
to^on  tha  cansaas,  dug  out  flie  part  thns  roaited.  -mtt 
oyatei^ahaila^ and ipadB  a  heafty  teeali '  •  '  »J -^in' 
. ;  A  finoi  l«val  coontay  noar)|>fMeHted  ^adlf,  the  sight « if' 
Wbiofa  caoaed  them  ta  "belieif  e  that  their  fiitigues  ytrtir^ 
near  a>  t^nnittationf  and  that  they  hcid  readied  llie  nMi- 
emmoat  part  of  the  Dntdi  cbbniaSi  Here  ne^  di^sisi^ 
siona  aioee^  8(»no  adviaiagt  Uiat  they  shduM  j^ilkitrate  hi^' 
land,  while  jothflirs  persmMd  in  the  ohg^l  jsian  "ttf 
keeping  in  the  vicinity  of  th^  segt-ooast.  '  • ' ' 

Afier  many  disputes  another  dirisicki  of  lliepariiy  lof'^ 
place.  ,  Mr.  Shicnry  the  fourth  mate,  Mr.  Harris^  the  fiAlt. 
]ieesilt»1I^Uliams  and  Tbtylor,  capitain  TaHMt,  cuid  mmK" 
men,  to  the  number  of  twen^-two  persona^  ainoilg%hieil^ 
-waa  Hyiiea,  themporter,  reiolved  tO;proeeed  iitlind.  H^e 
oarpenter,  the  ship^a  steward,  M.  D'Eepteetta^  Mw  Ol^i^,^ 
witn  about  twen^^four  seamen,  bontiiiued  ta  lie^o^riiita 
shOBQ.  •    ■       '  .r/v.yy^    .  ..  Mil  vr,nr/.' 

Ute  party  n^ich  took  the  interiol'  propeeded  foi^'tiMe 
dayi  throng  a  very  pleasant  conntry^  where  they  sa'^ 
a  graatnnmbMr  of  ^serted  kraals.  During  thu  time 'thl^^ 
had  noihing  to  subsut  on  but  a  fo#^oysters,  whicli  tMy 
carried  with  them,  and  some  berries  and  Wild  eorrel 
gathered  on  ^  %ayi  Tha^efliNstB  of  hungi^-sebnoem- 
pelled  them  to  return  to  the  coast,  where,  aausttt^,  t^^ 
fouttd  a  snpplr  of  dieU-fish.  Aa  they  w^m  preeei^ng 
up  &  sleep  hill,  seiea  after  their  B^ration,  ^ffli^  Taf- 
bote  '■  complained  of  great  lassitu^  and  te^^tnMH^Wf 
down  to  rest  himself.  The  compatiyatfKetalitiitf^ffia 
dulged  hiin  by  «h^g  the  same ;  but  perc^sfMng  ^f 4e 
wat  cdiata  eotfaaoaiad,  they  went  on,  leaTintt  him  and 
^Hh&iMrtwit,  lOni^^iiting  ifesMai  eaiel  othMj 
neither  of  them  wat  heard  of  any  more. 


i<K'- 


M 


'fit^mMMmAVLAMLE  MHPWBIC1» 


•OJ 


Bufing  r»pQf0d  near  tfa«  ihoie,  Ifa^  liezt  day,  abovt 
noon,  tbey  airiyed  at  a  Monil  lii^rj  it^ert  they  found 
two  of  tbib  camnter's  party,  whoy  bong  unable  to  swim, 
had  been  le^  b^iind.  The  joy  ci€  these  poor  creatures, 
at  the  sighl  of  their  comrades,  was  eacessivei  They 
were  preeeryed  since  they  had  been  in  this  piaee  almost 
by  a  miracks,  for  while  they  were  jgathering  shell-ffsh 
on  the  beach  their  fire  went  out,  so  that  it  was  wonder- 
ful how  they  escaped  being  devoured  by  the  wild  beasts. 

They  were  with  d^euHy  got  over  the  river,  and 
travellmg  on  for  four  days  more  Uie  party  ciune  to  ano^ 
ther  river,  of  such  breadth  that  none  of  them  would  at- 
tetnpt  to  pass  it  Hairing  no  alternative,  they  marched 
aldig  its  bulks  in  hopes  of  finding  a  practicabw  passage, 
and  arrived  at  a  village,  where  the  natives  showed  them 
the  inside  of  a  watch,  which  some  of  the  carpenter's 
party  hfMl  given  for  «  little  milk.  Mr.  ^law  conceivins 
that  such  a  traffic  would  i|0t  be  unacceptable,  offiBred 
them  the  inside  of  his  watch  for  a  calf.  To  these  terms 
they  assented,  ^t  no  sotmer  had  they  obtained  posses- 
sion of  the  price  than  they  withheld  the  calf,  which  wiii 
iqwpeidil^y  driven  out  of  the  village.  -' 

Jfliey  continued  their  march  along  the  river  fivtove- 
ral  days,  an4  passed  through  several  villages  without 
DA^lestatioiL  fxcm  the  inhabitants,  till  they  came  to  a  part 
where  diey  conceived  they  should  be  able  to  cross.  IniT- 
ing  constructed  a  catamaran^  as  before,  they  all  paiwed 
t)i^  river  in  safety,  excepting  the  two  who  had  been 
le^  behind  by  the  carpenter's  party,  and  who  were 
afraid  to  v<«itttre.  These  unfortunate  men  were  never 
seen  afWwaids, 

Having  gained  the  opposite  bank,  tfafe  company  now 
proceeded,  in  an  oblique  direction,  towards  the  shore, 
whu^  they  reached  about  noCn  cm  the  third  day.  The 
next  iBQiBong,  at  the  ebbing  of  the  tide,  they  procured 
Spmefb^fish,  end  having  refreshed  themselves,  they 
pnrsi^ed  their  journey.   'T  ' 

.ija  the  course  c^tbst  day's  march  theiy  fdl  in  with^v 
.piity  of  ttie  natives,  belonging,  as  they  imagined,  to  v 
tliir  nation,  by  whomt^ey  wex#beatin,  and  extrmieiy^ 


^- 


LOSS  or  Tm  tmosfWHOM,  imbiaman 


il!  treated.  To  avoid  their  persecutions  they  concealed 
themselves  in  the  woods  t^  the  savages  had  retired, 
when  they  assembled  again  and  resumed  their  march 
They  had  not  proceeded  £Eir  before  they  perceived  tb  . 
prints  of  human  feet  in  the  sand,  from  which  they  con* 
eluded  diat  their  late  compamons  were  before  them. 
In  the  hope  of  rejoining  them  they  traced  dieir  supposed 
footsteps  for  a  while,  but  soon  lost  them  among  the  rocks 
and  grass. 

Aner  some  time  "they  came  to  another  rivei^  not 
very  broad,  but  of  considerable  depth,  which  they 
passed  in  safety  on  a  catamaran,  as  beiore.  Nothing  re^ 
markaUe  occurred  during  the  thjree  f<^owing  days ;  but 
at  the  expiration  of  that  period  they  overtook  theeaipen- 
ter's  party,  whose  sufferings  they  found  had  been  even 
more  severe  than  their  own.  The  carpenter  himself  had 
been  p<HS(med  by  eating  some  kind  of  fruit,  with  the  nB» 
ture  of  which  he  was  unacquainted :  M.  D'Espinette  and 
M.  Olivier,  worn  out  with  famine  and  fatigue,  had  beeo 
left  to  their  fate.  The  unfortunate  little'  traveller,  Law, 
was  rtill  with  them,  and  had  hitherto  supported  every 
hardship  in  an  astonislung  manner.  '    d 

i|  Thus  once  more  united  they  proceeded  together  til< 
theyf  came  to  a  sandy  beadh,  where  ^ey  found  a 
couple  of  planks  with  a  spike  nail  in  eadi.  This  wa^ 
vinced  them  that  some  European  .ships  had  been  neat 
the  coast,  or  that  they  were  in  the  vicmity  of  some  Mtt* 
tlement  The  nails  were  {mzes  of  the  first  eonsequenee: 
these,  being  flattened  between  two  stones,  Were  shaped 
into  something  like  knives,  and,  to  men  in  their  situation 
were  considered  a  most  valuable  acquisition.  ft 

4i.  In  a  shcNTt  time  they  came  to  another  river,  on  whose 
banks  they  accidentally  found  fresh  water,  which  induc« 
ed  them  to  rest  there  for  the  night.  In  the  morning  they 
erossed  the  river,  and  on  examining  the  seanshore  they 
found  anotlier  demd  whale,  which  diffused  a  general  joy, 
till  a  liSupge  party  of  natives,  armed  with  lancds,  came 
down  upon  them.  These  people,  however,  perc«[vi|B| 
the  da)lonyt>le  condition  of  tiie  travellers,  conduct 
themselves  in  such  a  pacific  manner  as  to  dispel  thoii 


\ 


Yi 


'-■rnt 


ap|ireh«nsioii«.  One  of  them  eveii  lent  those  who 
esaployed  upon  the  whale  his  lance,  by  means  of  whick 
ana  their  two  kniyes,  they  cut  it  into  junkt,  and  carrioo 
off  a  oonsidefabie  qqantity,  till  they  oould  find  wood  and 
watertodvBisit 

Oil  coning  to  a  rirer  the  fioUowing  day,  another  of  the 
party  droopdl,  and  they  were  under  the  cniek  necessity 
of  learing  him  behind.  Havrng  plenty  of  provisions,  they 
now  proceeded  four  days  without  intermission,  and  prot 
curing  a  sticky  they  set  about  making  a  kind  of  calendar, 
by  cutting  a  notch  lor  every  day :  but,  in  crosaing  a  river, 
this  register  of  time  was  lost,  ana  the  care  they  luidtakei^i, 
to  carapnte  their  raelanch(^y  days  was  d  no  avail. 

They  soon  reiiched  a  new  river,  where  they  halted 
fiv  the  night  1^  frequent  impeflUonents  ^  rivers  much 
retarded  their  progress.  Few  of  these,  however,  tEoe  of 
very  great  magnitude  at  any  distance  irom  the  sea ;  but 
as  the  trayeHers  dbrivnd  all  their  subustence  ircnn  the 
watery  element,  they  w«re  obliged  to  submit  to  the  in-  r 
convenience  of  passing  tiiem  in  general  where  the  tide 
flowed.  This  witt  account  for  difficulties,  from  whieh, 
had  it  been  practicable,  a  more  inland  course  would  hav<b 
exempted  them. 

As  ^  weather  was  very  unfavorable  next  morning^ 
some  9&  the  company  were  afraid  to  cross  the  river,  upon 
which  ii3riies,  and  about  ten  more,  being  impatient  to 
{MToceed,  swam  across,  leaving  the  rest,.amonff  whom 
was  master  Law,  behind  them.  Having  gained  the  opi>^ 
posite  flAu»e,  tiiey  proceeded  till  they  came  to  a  place 
where  they  met  widi  shell-fish,  wood,  and  water.  Here 
they  halted  two  days,  in  expectation  of  the  arrival  of  the 
oUiers;  but  as  it  still  Mew  fresh,  they  concluded  that 
their  more  timorous  companions  had  not  ventured  to 
cross  the  river ;  therefore  thinking  it  in  vain  to  wait  any 
loni^r,  they  went  forward. 

They  had  not  travelled  many  hours  before  they  had 
the  good  fortune  to  discover  a  dead  seal  on  th&  beach» 
%ie  of  the  knives  being  in  possession  of  this  party,  they 
^  up  their  prey,  dressed  part  of  the  fleidi,«ii  %yt  spoii. 
lild  carried  the  leet  with  them.  ^  ^  ui  -^i         i 


\ 
niVrwiiitiii 


\ 


LOSS  09  TO  •SMflKOft  mMAMAlf. 


%tThe  next  morning  the  party  left  behind  overtook  them* 
It  was  now  conducted  by  the  ship's  steward,  and  in  dM 
interval  from  the  recent  separatum  it  appeared  that  Ihey 
had  suffered  extremely  from  the  natives,  iiom  hunger^ 
and  fatigue,  and  that  nve  of  them  were  no  more,  lliua 
these  unfortunate  men  were  rapidly  losing  some  of  their 
body ;  yet  the  reflection  of  their  forlorn  condition  did  not 
rouse  them  to  ^e  good  effects  of  unanimity,  which 
alone,  had  it  been  either  a  permanent  principle,  or  en-> 
forced  by  aa  authority  to  which  they  ought  to  have  sub-? 
mitted,  mifl^  have  saved  them  many  distresses,  and 
would  have  tended  to  the  preservation  of  numbers.  Con- 
cord is  always  strength;  the  ccmtrary,  even  in  tbahi^ppi- 
est  circumstances,  is  weakness  and  ruin. 

Having  shared  the  remainder  of  the  seal  anumg  themi 
and  tak^n  some  repose,  they  again  proceeded  in  one 
body,  and  after' some  time  came  to  a  loCty  mountain* 
which  it  was  necessary  to  cross,  or  go  round  the  blua 
point  of  a  rock  on  which  the  surf  beat  with  great  vio* 
lence.  The  latter  a][^aring  to  be  much  the  jri}<»tMl 
passage,  they  chose  it,  but  had  reasc^i  to  repent  their 
determination,  as  they  had  a  miraeulouf  escape  with 
their  lives.  Some  of  ^em  not  only  lost  ^ir  provisional 
but  their  firebrands,  which  they  had  hitherto  carefully 
carried  with  them,  were  extinguished  by  the  wav«i. 

Dispirited  by  this  essential  loss,  which  was  their  chief 
protection  from  the  wild  beasts,  they  felt  the  misery  of 
their  situation  with  aggravated  force,  and  an  additional 
gloom  clouded  their  luture  prospects.  Marching  along 
in  this  disconsdate  mood,  they  feU  in  with  some  femalu 
natives,  who  'immediatety  fled.  When  the  traireJers ' 
eame  up  to  the  spot  where  these  women  had  been  first 
descriea,  th^y  had  the  satisfaction  to  find  that  the  fira 
on  which  they  had  been  dressing  muscles  was  not  extjjnt 
guished.  With  joy  ihey  lightea  their  brands,  and  aran 
a  fe^  hours'  repose  pursued  their  course. 

Next  day  they  arrived  at  a  village,  where  the  nativaa 
ofiered  to  barter  a  young  bullock  with  them.  The  in- 
side of  a  watch,  some  buttons,  and  other  trifles,  wetf 
^ffirftd  afidieadilv  aflflentfld  in  exchanoe:  the  beast  ba« 


:^'&r 


'^^'^^^^Mhhabkami 


(MIOJ/ 


lug  d«HYered  up,  wat  despttehed  by  the  Isnce  of  one  of 
the  natives.  The  Cafi^  were  pleased  to  receive  back 
^d'entrails,  and  the  carcass  being  divided  in  the  moet 
impartial  manner,  our  peojrfe  tocw;  up  their  abode  for 
that  night  near  the  village,  and  the  next  morning  passed 
another  river  on  a  catamaran^ 

The  bullock  was  the  only  sustenance  they  had  hitherto 
received  from  the  natives,  by  barter  oi*favor,  excepting 
that  iho  w<»nen  sometimes  gave  the  poor  child  who  ac- 
companied them  some  milk.  Amcmg  the  most  barba- 
rous nations,  the  females,  to  the  honor  of  their  sex,  ars 
always  found  to  be  comparatively  humane,  and  never 
was  thefe  a  more  just  object  of  commiseration  than  mas- 
ter Law.  Hitherto  he  had  got  on  tolerably  well,  through 
the  benevolent  attention  of  his  omnpanions.  He  walked 
^en  able,  and  when  tired  they  carried  him  in  turn 
without  a  murmur.  None  ever  obtained  any  food  with- 
out allowing  him^dL  share.  When  the  rest  were  collect- 
ing shell-fish  he  was  left  to  watch  the  fire,  and  on  ^eii 
return  he  participated  in  the  spoils.  • 

They  now  entered  a  sandy  desert,  which  they  were 
ten  days  in  passing.  In  this  desolate  tract  they  had 
many  rivers  to  pass;  and  had  it  not  been  for  the  supply 
of  food  they  carried  with  them,  they  must  all  have  pe- 
rished. However,  they  hod  wood  in  abundance,  sddcHn 
ftdlled  to' find  water  by  digging  in  the  sand,  and  being 
safe  from  the  apprehensions  of  the  natives,  this  appears 
to  have  been  the  most  pleasant  part  of  their  journey; 

Having  crossed  the  desert,  they  entered  the  territories 
of  a  new  nation,  by  whom  they  were  sometimes  msA* 
treated,  and  at  othen  were  suffsred  to  pa«s  Without  mm 
testation.  Being  now  on  the  borders  of  the  ocean,  they 
fell  in  with  a  party  of  the  natives,  who,  by  signs,  ad> 
vised  them  to  go  inland :  and  complying  with  their  di- 
JNl^ti<xis,  they  soon  arrived  at  a  village,  where  they  fouud 
only  women  and  children.  The  women  brought  out  a 
little  milk,  whicb  tiiey  gave  to  master  Law.  It  was 
ccmtained  in  a  small  basket,  curiously  formed  of  rushes 
md  so  compact  as  to  hold  any  kind  of  liquid.  Hev^ 
they  had  an  opportunity  of  examining  several  huts,  afld 


#■ 


tniM 

ad- 
di- 
|aud 
Int  a 


dbaerred  the  mode,  in  which  the  natifea  ohum  tfieir  tot- 
ter. The  milk  it  put  into  a  leather  bag,  which  it  an- 
pended  in  the  middle  of  the  tent,  and  piiahed  backward 
and  forward  by  two  perioiia,  till  the  batter  arrt? ei  at  a 
proper  conaiatenee..  When  thus  prepared,  they  mix  it 
with  soot,  and  anoint  themsalves  with  the  composition^ 
which  proTea  a  defence  against  the  intense  heat  of  the 
climate,  and  renders  their  umbs  uncommonly  pliant  and 
active. 

While  the  traveUers  were  resting  themselres,  the  men 
belonging  to  the  Tillage  retumea  from  hunting,  each 
bearing  upon  the  point  of  his  spear  a  piece  of  deer's 
flesh.  They  formed  a  ring  round  the  INrangeni^  and 
seemed  to  gaze  on  them  with  admiration.  After  fakviug 
satisfied  tbur  curiosity,  they  produced  two  bowls  of  milkj 
which  they  appeared  willing  to  bartei^,  but  as  our  wretch- 
ed countrymen  had  nothii^  to  give  in  exchange,  they 
drank  it  up  themselves. 

Scarcely  had  they  finished  their  meal,  when  they  all 
rose  up,  and  in  an  instant  went  oflf  into  the  woods,  teaT* 
ing  the  English  under  some  apprehensions  as  to  the 
cause  of  this  sudden  motion.  In  a  short  time,  howerer j 
they  returned  with  a  deer,  and  though  our  people  eu* 
nestly  entreated  to  be  permitted  to  partake  of  tbs  jpoil, 
the  natives  not  only  disregarded  their  solicitation^  but 
likewise  insisted  on  their  c|uitting  the  kraal.  Tils  they 
were  obliged  to  comply  with,  and  after  walking  a  km 
miles  they  lay  down  to  rest  v -r 

For  several  days  they  pursued  their  journey  without 
any  remarkable  occurrence.  They  frequently  fell  in 
with  the  natives,  who  had  great  numbera  of  oxoa,  but 
they  would  part  with  nothing  without  a  return,  which 
uras  not  in  the  power  of  the  travelers  to  make.  Theft 
had,  however,  the  negative  satisfaction  of  not  bdng  an- 
noyed in  their  progress.  They  now  came  to  an0theF> 
river,  where  they  saw  three  or  four  huts,  containing  only 
women  and  chudren.  The  flesh  ei  sea-cows  sm  sefr- 
lions  was  hanging  up  to  dry,  of  which  the  women  gavpi, 
the  travellers  a  part  They  slept  that  night  at  a  small^'^ 
distance  finim  these  huts.  mtj 


■m^ 


.*vt,-^- 


.fCitJIl 


•<HM 


I  ^ 


-  Next  ttonung,  HynM  und  nine  othert  iwiun  mrnm 
li»  rlT«r,  bttt  tlie  fwt  wen  too  ttanorom  lo  make  IIm 
attempt  Thow  who  bad  croased  tlM  river  soon  afWi* 
waida  had  tha  good  Ibrtmie  to  obaarra  a  aaal  asleep,  iuat 
at  hiffh-water  mark,  and  having  cut  off  hia  retreat,  llnY 
foond  Bieaiu  la  kill  him.  Having  diirided  the  flesh,  ther 
trayetled  Ibur  or  Ave  days,  oecaaioiiany  falling  in  with 
the  natives,  who,  iqion  the  whole,  behaved  with  tolemMe 
forbearance. 

i  Thev  BOW  arrived  at  another  river,  which  they  were 
obliged  to  cross,  and  proceeding  en  their  ronte,  the  next 
day  found  a  whale ;  and  thus  being  well  suppliM  with 
provisions  they  resolved  to  halt  for  their  eompaniene; 
but  after  waiting  in  vain  two  days  they  proeeeded  with- 
out them.  They  afterwards  found  that  their  oohim- 
nioiifl  had  taken  a^more  inland  route,  and  had  got  W- 
fore  them.  Havinc,  therefore,  cut  up  as  muoli  ^  the 
whale  as  they  cdiiila  carry,  and  being  much  refteiiied, 
they  proceeded  With  alaciity,  having  now  no  neeessity 
to  loiter  in  quest  of  food.  k  ^tuii 

Thus  they  travelled  for  more  th  n  a  week,  atld'^ 
their  way  diseovered  some  pieces  -^i  rags,  which  satisfied 
them  that  their  late  associates  lir*.d  g(.*t  the^iart  of  tliem. 
'nwj^  BOW  entered  an  extensive  sandy  desert,  and  find- 
ing, tevmtds^he  close  of  the  first  day,  but  little  prospect  of 
obtainiBg  either  wood  or  water,  they  were  mucn  disheart- 
6Md.  To  their  joy,  however,  at  the  entrance  of  a  deep 
gully  they  saw  the  following  words  traced  on  the  sand : 
llWn  in  hwe  and  you  ii^  ftimd  pl^fUy  of  wotid  and  wnter. 
This  dieored  them  like  a  revelation  from  heaven,  and  on 
entering  thu  ^Uy  they  found  the  notification  veri^  l 
and  the  remains  of  several  fires,  'n^hich  assured  th^^it 
that  their  late  companions  had  reposed  in  the  samei-o^^^; 

Tbey  proeeeded  several  days,  proportionably  exhause^ 
fld  With  ftitigue  as  they  advanced,  but  without  any 
memorable  occurrence.  They  now  eame  to  a  bluff  point 
of  a  rock,  ^-^^^ch  projected  so  far  into  the  sea  tis  to  ob- 
struct their  p^.  ^«%  so  that  they  were  obliged  to  direct 
their  conrae  mm\  miai?.*].  To  add  to  their  dMtress,  their 
Ipiovisions  wer«i  iiga^i  exhausted,  when,  arriving  at  a 


,L.        ,.         .:■     -   A. 


4ij!!i*«"«i 


th«s. 


Imm'  pond,  tiMy  Inekily  found  v  number  uf  li 

•null,  and  mmm  ■orrtl  te  the  Ticinity,  and  on  theM  ttitf 

mmdib  %  Mttiiikolory  meal; 

Ai  MMB  i»  it  dawiMd  they  rMumcd  their  journey,  and 
•nterinc  a  wood,  thoy  dbevred-  many  of  tho  trees  toni 
up  by  ttio  n^^tf.  While  they  were  loet  in  amawment  at 
this  pb<^  < .  ifeTon,  to  their  terror  and  aatonishiMnt  thirty 
or  f'^^t  'w:  >  laphants  started  up  out  of  the  long  grassy 
witM  wai.oh  ihe  ground  UrtM  covered.  The  travellers 
9tov^/.  L  .e  moments  in  suspense,  whe^er  they  would 
i  •  treat  ot  advance ;  but,  by  taking  a  circnitous  oowrse, 
,jiey  prjuBsed  these  enormous  creatures  without  any 
iojnry.  'I!he  grass  in  which  they  lay  was  not  leae  thiai 
eight  or  nine  feet  high.  This  may  appear  strange  lo 
those  who  are  not  acquainted  with  the  luxuriant  vege* 
tation  of  tropical  climates,  but  other  travellers,  of  «i* 
questionable  veracity,  have  made  the  same  remarks  on 
Africa.  • 

Having  reached  the  sea-shore  that  night,  our  trayti 
lers  were  miserably  disappointed  by  tM  stat»>ef'*lha 
tide,  which  deprived  them  of  their  usual  tnpplJte  tif 
iihell-fish.  To  such  extremities  were  they,  m  oonie^ 
quence,  rednced,  that  some  of  them,  who  had  made 
itioes  of  the  hide  of  the  bullock  obtained  in  barter  from 
the  natives,  ^nged  off  the  hair,  broiled  and  eat  themi 
This  unsavory-  dish  they  rendered  as  palatable  as  poesl^ 
ble  by  means  of  some  wild  celery  they  found  on  the  spot, 
and  Uie  whole  party  partook  of  it. 

At  low  water  they  went  as  usual  to  the  rocks  to  pro* 
cure  shell-fish ;  and  as  they  proceeded  they  often  pe^i 
eeived  evident  traces  of  that  division  of  their  party  which 
^  '^d  got  the  start  of  them.  In  two  days'  time  they  fell  in 
with  a  hunting  party  of  the  natives,  who  offered  no  mc^ 
lestation  to  our  people  as  they  passed,  and  for  sevend 
days  they  everywhere  behaved  with  the  same  forbear- 
ance. 

After  passing  two  rivers,  and  finding  no  ^fifesh  imter 
near  them,  they  enie^  a  sterile  country,  whirre  the  t|»* 
tlves  appeared  t<>  have  nothing  to  subsist  on  but  whM 
tfaey  derived  from  hunting  and  Ashing.     What  then 


'W. 


'■       : 


\ 


M 


■K.:i.<ifjWM«nr>m,T..  Humion. 


•  '.•'i  I 


I 


moit  liaTe  been  the  situation  of  our  traYellers !  Ttiof 
had  not  a  drop  of  water  for. several  days;  and  a  lew 
berries  which  they  occasionally  picked  up  were  Hm 
only  alleviation  of  their  burning  tmrst  However,  they 
soon  reached  Caffraria,  properly  so  called,  whidi  they 
found  to  be  a  fine  and  populous  coi^try. 

During  their  march  through  this  territory  our  travel- 
lers were  absolutely  starving  in  the  midst  of  plenty. 
They  saw  abundance  of  cattle,  but,  so  tenacious  were 
the  natives  of  their  property,  that  they  would  not  part 
with  an^r  thing  gratuitously,  and  our  people  had  nothing 
to  give  in  barter.  So  apprehensive  were  the  Caffires, 
lest  these  pocr  vagrants  might  commit  depredations, 
that  they  constantly  secured  their  cattle  as  they  ap- 
proached, and  even  used  violence  to  keep  them  at  a  dis- 
tance. So  true  it  is  that  in  all  countries  poverty  is  con- 
fidered  rather  as  a  crime  than  a  misfortune,  and  that  he 
who  has  nothing'  to  bestow  is  immediately  suspected 
of  an  intention  to  take  away. 

But  the  Caf&es  have  been  charaeterized  as  a  humane 
and  inoffensive  people.  How  are  we  then  to  reconcile 
this  description  with  the  conduct  they  •displayed  to  our 
coimtr3rmen  1  May  not  the  idea,  that  they  were  Dutch- 
men, solve  the  difficulty?  Between  the  Caffires  and  the 
Dutch  colonists  an  inveterate  enmity  subsisted  at  that 
period.  The  Cafifres  had  been  treated  with  unparalleled 
cruelty  and  oppression  by  the  white  people,  with  whom 
they  were  conversant ;  all  white  people  were,  dierefore, 
probably  regarded  as  enemies.  Among  uncivilized  na- 
tions, wherever  any  intercourse  has  been  established 
with  Europeans,  the  characters  of  the  latter,  in  general, 
have  been  determined  from  the  conduct  of  a  worthless 
few.  Thus,  as  on  other  important  occasions,  many  suIJt 
fer  for  the  vices  of  individuals. 

,  Our  travellers,  everywhere  repelled,  or  regarded  with 
apprehension,  at  length  came  to  a  river,  and  having 
crossed  it,  were  met  by  a  party  of  the  natives,  one  of 
whom  had  adorned  his  hair  with  a  piece  of  a  silver 
buckle,  which  was  known  to  have  belonged  to  the  ship's 
cook.    It  seems  the  cool^,  who  set  a  particular  vahie  up- 


J 

■, 

'"'"litjii "!"..,.  ■■".,■1 

( (• ;  • 


LOSS  OP  TBB  0EOSTBNOE  INDIAMAN. 


u 


I  a  few 
sre  Um 
9r,  they 
Bh  they 


on  his  buckles,  had  covered  them  with  bits  of  cloth,  to 
conceal  them  from  the  natives ;  but  at  length  hunger 
had  compelled  him  to  break  them  up,  in  order  to  barter 
thorn  for  food :  but  no  sooner  was  the  price  deposited 
than  the  natives  broke  their  engagement,  as  had  been 
their  general  practice,  except  in  one  solitary  instance,  and 
drove  the  claimants  away. 

Hynes  and  his  party  were  roughly  handled  by  th&na^ 
tives  they  had  fallen  in  with.  To  avoid  their  persecu- 
tion, they  travelled  till  late  at  night,  and  after  reposing 
for  a  few  hours,  they  recommenc^  their  journey  before 
it  was  light,  that  they  might  escape  a  repetition  of  their 
ill  treatment. 

Next  day,  about  noon,  they  reached  a  spot  where  there 
was  good  water,  and  a  probability  of  finding  an  abun- 
dance of  shell- fish ;  here,  being  much  fatigued,  they  de- 
termined to  spend  the  night.  While  in  this  situation 
they  were  overtaken  b  a  tremendous  storm  of  thunder 
ana  lightning,  and  the  rain  poured  down  in  such  tor- 
rents that  they  were  obliged  to  hold  up  their  canvass 
frocks  over  the  fire  to  save  it  from  being  extinguished. 
Next  day,  at  low  water,  they  found  shell-fish,  as  usual, 
staid  some  time  to  dry  their  clothes,  and  then  resumed 
their  journey.  Coming  to  a  large  village  the  inhabitants 
fell  upon  them  with  such  fury,  that  several  of  therjOL  were 
wounded,  in  consequence  of  which,  one  man  died  soon 
afterwards.  Hynes  received  a  wound  in  his  leg  from  a 
lance,  and  being  knocked  down,  was  left  senseless  on 
the  spot  by-  his  companions,  who  supposed  him  to  be 
dead.  However,  in  a  few  hours,  to  their  ^reat  joy,  he 
rejoined  his  countrymen,  who  had  despaired  of  over  see- 
ing him  again.    •  *:■ 

From  this  time  they  lost  sight  of  the  habitations  of  the 
natives,  and  entered  a  sandy  desert,  where  it  was  with 
the  utmost  difficulty  they  could  prdbure  any  sustenance. 
At  intervals,  indeed,  they  experienced  the  usual  bounty 
of  t\\B  sea,  and  having  collected  as  many  shell-fish  as 
possible,  they  opened  them  in  the  fire,  and  taking  out 
the  animal,  left  the  shells,  which  greatly  diminished  the 
labor  of  carriage. 


2^.- 


i 


_.r 


IIMARKABLB  8HI?WRECKt. 


\1 


Having  pessed  the  desert,  they  arrived  at  a  large 
river,  which,  as  they  afterwards  learned  from  the  Dutch, 
is  called  Bosjesman's  river.  Here  they  found  Thomas 
Lewis,  one  of  the  party  which  had  gone  before  them^ 
who,  havine  been  token  ill,  was  abandoned  to  his  fate. 
He  informed  them  that  he  had  travelled  inland  and  seen 
many  huts,  at  one  of  which  he  obtained  a  little  milk, 
and  at  another  was  beaten  away.  He  added,  that  hav- 
ing reached  the  place  where  he  now  was,  he  lound  him- 
self too  weak  to  cross  the  nver,  and  was,  therefore,  de- 
termined to  return  to  the  nearest  kraal,  indifferent  as  to 
his  reception  or  his  life.  In  vain  his  companions  strove 
to  overcome  this  determination.  They  flattered  him 
with  the  hope  of  yet  being  able  to  reach  the  Cape,  but 
their  encouragement  was  ineffectual.  Both  his  body 
and  mind  were  broken  down ;  he  had  drained  the  cup 
of  affliction  to  the  dregs ;  despair  had  laid  her  iron  hand 
upon  him,  and  sealed  him  for  her  own.  In  spite  of  all 
their  entreaties  he  went  back  to  the  natives,  and  once 
more  had  the  good  fortune  to  receive  assistance,  when 
he  could  least  of  all  expect  it,  and  in  such  a  shape  as 
proved  effectual  to  hid  preservation.  But  we  are  antici- 
pating events. 

On  exploring  the  sea-coast,  our  people,  to  their  great 
joy,  discovered  another  whale,  and  having  cut  the  flesh 
mto  junks,  took  with  them  as  much  of  it  as  they  were 
able  to  carry.  Again  losing  sight  of  the  natives  an<i 
their  huts,  they  were  kept  in  perpetual  alarm  by  th6 
wild  beasts,  which  were  here  niore  numerous  than  in 
any  part  of  the  country  through  which  they  had  hitherto^ 
passed. 

On  the  fourth' day,  after  passing  the*  river,  they  over- 
took the  ship's  steward  and  master  Law,  who  still  sur- 
vived inexpressible  hardships.  Ffditn  them  they  learned 
that  the  cooper  had  been  buried  the  preceding  evening 
in  the  sand ;  but  when  Hynes  and  the  steward  went  to 
take  a  farewell  view  of  the  spot,  they  found,  to  their  sur- 
prise and  horror,  that  the  body  had  been  carried  off  by 
some  carnivorous  animal,  which  had  evidently  dragged 
it  to  a  considerable  distance. 


WMi 


*"^™*^     -r  • 


LOSS  or  TMM  QBOSTSMOm   mSIAMAN. 


# 


)ver- 
sur- 
imed 
ping 
mt  to 
■sur-fc 


Hynes'  P<^  pies^ted  the  steward  and  child  with 
some  of  the  flesh  of  the  whale,  by  which  they  were  much 
refreshed ;  and  for  eight  or  ten  days  more  they  all  pro- 
ceeded in  company.  At  length  they  came  to  a  point  of 
rocks,  and  as  the  whale  was  by  this  time  wholly  con- 
sumed, they  w«it  round  the  edge  in  sc«rch  of  such  sus- 
tenance as  the  sea  miriit  afford.  This  took  up  so  much 
time  that  they  were  obliged  to  sleep  on  the  rock,  whore 
they  could  procure  no  water  but  what  was  very  brackish. 
In  the  morning  the  steward  and  child  were  both  taken 
ill,  and  being  unable  to  pr6ceed,  the  party  agreed  to  halt 
till  the  next  day.  The  extreme  coldness  of  the  rock  on 
which  they  had  slept  produced  a  sensible  effect  on  them 
all :  the  steward  and  child  still  continued  very  ill.  Their 
companions,  therefore,  agreed  to  wait  another  day,  when, 
if  no  favorable  turn  took  place,  they  would  be  under  the 
painful  necessity  of  abandoning  them  to  their  fate.  But 
their  humanity  was  not  put  to  tiiis  severe  test,  for  in  the 
course  of  the  following  night  this  poor  child  resig^Md 
his  breath,  and  ceased  any  longer  to' share  their  fatigues 
and  sc»rrows.  They  had  left  him,  as  they  supposed, 
asleep,  near  the  fire  round  which  they  had  all  rested 
during  the  night;  but  when  they  had  made  their  ar-  ;^ 
rangements  for  breakfast,  and  wished  to  call  him  to  ' 
participate,  they  found  that  his  soul  had  taken  its  flight 
to  another  world. 

FcNreetting  their  own  misery  they  sensibly  felt  for  the 
loss  ofthis  tender  youth,  and  the  affliction  of  the  stew- 
ard in  particular  was  inexpressible.     This  child  had  ! 
been  the  object  of  his  fondest  care,  during  a  long  and  t 
perilous  journey,  and  it  was  with  the  utmost  difficulty 
that  his  companions  could  tear  him  from  the  spot. 

They  had  not  proceeded  far  before  one  of  the  party 
asked  for  a  shell  of  water,  which  b^ing  given  him,  he 
solicited  a  second,  and  as  soon  as  he  had  drunk-  it,  lay 
dowiyitnd  instantly  expired.  So  much  were  they  ha- 
bituated to  scenes  .of  distress,  that,  by  this  time,  death 
-had  ceased  to  be  regarded  as  shocking ;  it  was  even  con«*^ 
sidered  by  them  as  a  consummation  rather  to  be  wishedfl 
for  than  (hrea^d.    They  left  the  poor  man  where  he  drop- 


m- 


\ 


.HifrmiKABKABLB   SHIPITBECIS.     -Oi 


..ti 


ped,  and  had  not  advanced  far,  when  another  complain- 
ed of  extreme  weakness,  and  sat  down  upon  the  sand  by 
the  sea-side.     Him  too  they  left,  compelled  by  severe 
necessity,  in  order  to  seek  for  wood  and  water,  pro- 
mising, if  they  were  successful,  to  return  to  assist  him. 
Having  sought  in  vain  for  a  comfortable  resting-placo 
for  the  night,  they  were  all  obliged  to  repose  on  the 
sands.    R^oUecting  the  situation  of  their  comrade,  on^ 
of  the  party  went  back  to  the  spot  where  he  had  been 
left,  but  the  unhappy  man  was  not  to  be  found ;  and  as 
ilie  had  nothing  to  shelter  or  protect  him,  it  is  more  than 
XfNrobable  that  he  was  carried  off  by  wild  beasts. 
'     With  the  first  approach  of  day  they  resumed  their 
journey,  but  their  situation  was  now  more  deplorable 
'than  ever.     Having  had  no  water  since  the  middle  of 
llhe  preceding  day,  they  sufiered  exceedingly  finm  thirst, 
^ihe  glands  of  their  throats  and  their  mouths  were  much 
i^liwollen;  and  in  the  extremity  of  thirst  they  were  in- 
?^duced  to  swallow  their  own  urine.  >'» 

I     This  was  the  crisis  of  calamity.    The  misery  they 
;^  now  underwent  was  too  shocking  to  relate.     Having 
'^  existed  for  two  days  without  food  or  water,  they  were 
reduced  to  such  an  extremity  that  when  any  of  them 
could  not  furnish  himself  with  a  draught  of  urine,  he 
would  borrow  a  shell  full  of  his  more  fortunate  compa- 
nion till  he  was  able  to  repay  it.     The  steward,  whose 
"^  benevolence  ought  to  immortalize  his  memory,  now  fol- 
lowed his  little  favorite  to  another  world.     In^  short,  to 
'  such  a  state  of  wretchedness  were  they  now  reduced, 
^  that  death  was  stripped  of  all  its  terrors. 

Next  morning  two  more  of  the  party  were  reduced  to 
£  a  very  languid  state;  one  of  them,  unable  to  proceed  a 
step  farther,  lay  down,  and  his  companions,  incapable 
of  affording  him  any  assistance,  took  an  affectionate  fare- 
well; and  left  him  to  expire. 

Towards  evening  they  reached  a  deep  gully,  ^prhicli 
they  entered,  in  the  hope  of  meeting  with  fresh  water. 
Here  they  found  another  of  the  Grosvenor's  crew  lying 
^dead,  with  his  right  hand  cut  off  at  the  wrist.     A  cir- 
cumstance so  singular  could  not  fail  to  attract  tho  notica 


m 


LOIS  OF  no  MtOSTIIlOB   IMfilillAN. 


of  his  compamons,  especially  as  they  recollected  that  it 
had  been  the  common  asseveration  of  the  deceased,-— 
May  the  devil  cut  my  right  arm  off  if  U'he  not  true  /  It 
had  a  sensible  effect  upon  his  comrades  for  a  time,  as 
they  superstitiously  imagined  that  Proyidence  had  inter- 
fered, by  a  miracle,  to  show  its  indignation  against  his 
profaneness.  One  of  the  company,  who  had  lost  his  own 
clothes  in  crossing  a  river,  took  the  opportunity  of  sup- 
plying himself  by  stripping  the  dead  man,  and  then  they 
proc4«ded  till  night,  without  any  other  sustenance  than 
what  their  own  water  afforded  them. 
4-:  Next  day  brought  no  alleviation  of  their  miseries. 
Necessity  impelled  them  to  proceed,  tliough  hope  scarce^ 
ly  darted  a  ray  through  the  gloom  of  Uieir  prospects. 
The  whole  party  was,  at  last,  reduced  to  three  persons, 
'  Hynes,  Evans,  and  Wormington,  and  these  could  hope 
to  survive  their  companions  only  a  very  few  days. 
Their  faculties  rapidly  declined,  they  could  scarcely  hear 
or  see,  and  a  vertical  sun  darted  its  beams  so  intensely 
upon  them,  that  it  was  with  the  utmost  difficulty  they 
could  proceed.  '  > 

Their  misery,  from  thirst,  now  became  so  intolerable,' 
that  Wormington  earnestly  importuned  his  companions 
to  determine  by  lot  which  of  Uiem  should  die,  m  ordei 
that  the  others  might  be  preserved  by  drinking  his  bloocL 
Hynes,  though  almost  childish,  was  shocked  at  the  pro*, 
posal;  his  tears  flowed  abundantly,  and  he  declared, 
that  as  long  as  he  was  able  to  walk  he  could  not  think 
of  casting  lots ;  but  that,  if  he  should  be  obliged  to  drop, 
they  might  then  use  him  as  they  pleased.  Upon  this, 
Wormington,  shaking  hands  with  Hynes  and  Evans, 
suffered  them  to  proceed  without  him. 
i  Every  hour  now  seemed  to  throw  a  deeper  gloom  over 
their  fate;  nature  could  support,  no  more.  Hyn^s  and 
Evans,  however,  made  another. effort  to  advaiice,  Wit)i- 
out  even  indulging  a  hope  of  the  possibility  of  relief. 
They  this  day  saw  something  before  them  which  had 
the  appearance  of  large  birds,  but  their  surprise  may  be 
conceived,  when  upon  a  nearer  approach  they  discovered 
them  to  be  men.  Nearly  blind  and  idiots,  tiiey  did  not 
3* 


^.■.--H^' 


4ilik  BIKABKAILB 


finmcma.   ms 


Hit  first  neoUect  their  newly  found  compuiiOTu,  bnt  alter 
some  time  they  recognised  in  them  four  of  the  steward'* 
party  from  which  they  had  been  separated.  On^  of 
them,  a  boy,  named  Pnce,  advanced  to  meet  them,  and 
gave  them  the  pleasing  information,  that  his  associates 
bad  fresh  water  in  their  possession.  This  inspired  them 
with  new  lifcL  and  reciprocal  inquiries  were  made  rela« 
tive  to  the  fate  of  their  lost  companions.  The  three 
men  whom  Hynes  and  his  companion  had  overtaken 
were  named  Beniey,  Leary,  and  De  Lasso,  who  hearing 
that  Wormington  wae  left  behind,  the  two  latter  went  in 
search  of  him,  charging  those  who  remained  not  to  suf- 
fer Hynes  and  Evans  to  drink  too  freely  of  the  water, 
as  several  had  expired  from  the  eagerness  with  which 
they  swallowed  that  fluid  after  long  abstinence. 
,  Wormingtcm  was  recovered  by  the  humanity  of  those 
who  went  in  search  of  him,  ana  a  painful  detail  of  suf- 
ferings succeeded.  It  appeared  that  the  captain's  stew- 
ard had  been  buried  in  the  sand  of  the  last  desert  over 
which  they  passed,  and  that  the  survivors  were  reduced 
to  such  extremity,  that  after  his  interment  two  of  the 
party  were  sent  back  to  cut  off  his  flesh  for  their  immedi- 
ate support;  but  while  proceeding  upcoi  this  horrid  eis. 
rand,  they  had  the  good  fortune  to  discover  a  young 
seal,  newly  driven  on  shore,  and  fresh  bleeding,  which 
proved  a  most  seasonable  relief  They  farther  stated, 
that  they  had  obtained  shell-fish  in  the  sand,  when  ncnie  ° 
were  to  be  seen  upon  it,  by  observing  the  manner  in 
which  the  birds  scratched  for  them.  Without  this  dis- 
covery they  must  inevitably  have  perished.  .»*?^ 
Hynes  and  Evans,  recoimting  their  adventures  to  the 
party  they  had  joined,  among  other  circumstances  men- 
ti(»ied  that  the  ship's  steward,  whom  they  had  left  to 
expiry  on  the  road,  had  on  very  decent  clothes.  This, 
tempted  one  of  them  to  propose  to  Evans,  who  was  by 
this  time  pretty  well  recovered,  to  go  back  to  the  spot 
and  strip  me  body,  but  the  steward  could  not  be  found^- 
and  they  concluded  that  the  wild  beasts  had  anticipated 
their  design.  In  the  evening  Evans  returned,  but  with- 
out his  companion,  who  had  be^i  so  indolent  and  ad<« 


0 

a 


a 
ti 


SI 

si 


mmmj.. 


LOSS  OF  TBB  OBOSVBNOE  INDUMAN. 


>-'SaKf^ 


ranced  with  such  a  slow  pace,  that  the  former  waa 
obliged  to  leave  him  behind.  As  he  was  never  seen 
afterwards,  no  doubt  can  be  entertained  but  that  he  like- 
wise fell  a  victim  to  the  ravenous  beasts.  These  were 
so  numerous  as  to  be  seen  in  troops  of  twentjr  or  more ; 
and  it  was  the  common  and  effectual  practice  of  the 
travellers  to  shout  as  loud  as  possible  to  drive  away  those 
formidable  anima-ls. 

Having  now  arrived  at  a  favorable  spot  for  water  and 
shell-fish,  they  employed  two  days  in  collecting  provi- 
sions for  their  future  march,  and  in  refreshing  themselves. 
Rest  and  food  had  an  astonishing  effect  in  restoring  not 
only  the  powers  of  the  body,  but  of  the  mind ;  ana  in  a 
short  time  they  thought  themselves  quaUfied  to  encounter 
new  fatigues. 

With  extreme.difficulty  and  danger  they  passed  a  large 
river,  supposed  to  be  the  Sontag,  on  a  catamaran,  and 
having  reached  the  opposite  shore,  they  looked  back 
with  terror  and  amazement  on  their  fortunate  escape 
from  being  driven  out  to  sea  by  the  rapidity  of  the 
stream.  Here  they  likewise  found  a  king  of  shell-fish, 
which  buries  itseli  in  the  sand,  and  which  increased 
their  supplies. 

The  united  party,  consisting  of  six  pers(ms,  pursued 
their  route  over  a  desert  country,  where  neither  hut  ncMr 
native  was  to  be  seen,  and  in  six  days  reached  the 
Schwartz  river,  as  thoy  afterwards  learned,  on  the  banks 
of  which  they  took  up  their  abode  for  the  night 

The  country,  at  length,  began  to  assume  a  fertile  and 
cultivated  appearance,  and  some  huts  appeared  at  a  dis- 
tance from  the  shore.  While  contemplating  with  plea- 
sure this  change  of  prospect,  the  ^ass  near  them  took 
fire,  and  spread  wiui  great  rapidity.  They  all  ij|sed 
every  effort  to  extinguish  it,  lest  this  involuntalj|f  mis- 
chief should  provoke  the  resentment  of  the  naUv^or 
the  blaze  call  them  to  the  spot. 

Next  morning  they  swam  over  the  river  in  safety,  and. 
soon  discovered  another  dead  whale  lying  on  the  sea- 
shore. l\hus  supplied  with  food  they  purposed  resting 
here  q.  few  days,  if  they  could  have  found  &esh  watff' 

?;^  ■■■'    ~":^^?t*;  '■-    -f^'v-f-iv  ■■■■   --.■■■■■  ..,---    ■.  ...    i^  '  ■  .  '■»■■,■.■-      '■'^,-"-:   '::■":'■/'        ■   ■ 


5':  J 


■:;?-  ;,;-, 


i 


'^^mMJMULBUt   IRIFWRSCKB. 


Irat  that  necessary  article  being  wanting,  they  cut  up  as 
much  of  the  whale  as  they  could  carry,  and  proceeded 
on  their  route.  In  two  hours  they  came  to  a  thicket, 
where  they  met  with  water,  and  halted  to  rest. 

Next  morning  four  of  the  party  went  hack  to  the 
whale  for  a  larger  supply.  Do  Lasso  and  Price  being  left 
in  charge  of  the  fire.  As  Price  was  collecting  fuel  he 
perceived  at  a  little  distance  two  men  with  euns,  and 
being  intimidated  at  the  sight,  he  returned  hastily  to 
the  nre,  whither  the  welcome  intruders  pursued  him. 
These  men  belonged  to  a  Dutch  settlement  in  the  neighr 
borhood,  and  were  in  search  of  some  strayed  cattle.  One 
of  them,  named  John  Battores,  supposed  to  be  a  Portu- 
guese, was  able  to  converse  with  De  Lasso,  the  Italian, 
so  as  to  be  understood ;  a  circumstance  as  fortunate  as  it 
was  little  to  be  expected.  Battores  having  learned  tlie 
outline  of  their  n](eIanchoIy  story,  accompanied  them 
to  the  whale,  where  their  companions  were  employed 
in  cutting  away  the  flesh.  Aflected  at  the  sight  of 
these  miserable  objects,  he  desired  them  to  throw  away 
what  they  had  been  collecting,  promising  them  better 
fare  when  they  reached  the  habitation  to  which  he  be- 
longed. ^     * 

In  vain  shall  we  attempt  to  describe  the  sensations  of 
the  shipwrecked  wanderers  on  receiving  this  intelligence, 
and  that  they  were  within  four  hundred  miles  of  the 
Oapft  The  joy  that  instantly  filled  every  bosom  pro- 
duced effects  as  various  as  extraordinary :  one  man 
laughed,  another  wept,  and  the  third  danced  with  trans- 
port. 

On  reaching  the  house  of  Mynheer  Christopher  "Roos- 
tooff,  to  whom  Battores  was  bailiff,  they  were  treated 
with  the  kindest  attention.  The  master,  on  being  ac- 
quaint^ with  their  distress,  immediately  ordered  bread 
and  milk  to  be  set  before  them;  but  acting  rather  on 
principles  of  humanity  than  prudence,  he  furnished  ihem 
such  a  quantity  that  their  weak  stomachs  were  over- 
loaded. After  their  meal,  sacks  were  spread  upon  the 
ground  for  them  to  repose  on. 

It  had  been  so  long  since  they  had  known  any  thing 


■  *'.', 


LOSS  09  TBK.  «BOSTKNOm  INSIAMAN. 


t- 


ri»>'.«s» 


, 


« 


ig 


of  the  calculation  of  time,  that  they  were  unacquainted 
even  with  the  name  of  the  month ;  and  they  were  given 
to  understand,  that  the  day  of  their  deliverance  was  the 
twenty-ninth  of  November ;  so  that  one  hundred  and 
seventeen  days  had  rev<^ved  their  meianclKdy  hours 
since  they  were  shipwrecked ;  a  period  of  snfferwg  al- 
most unpariBiUeled,  and  during  which  they  had  often 
been  miraculously  preserved. 

Next  morning  Mynheer  Roostooff  killed  a  sheep  for 
the  entertainment  of  his  guests,  and  anothei  Ihitchman, 
of  the  name  of  Quin,  cune  with  a  cart  ana  six  horses 
to  convey  them  towards  the  Cape.  The  boy,  Ihrice,  bo- 
in^  lame,  from  the  hardships  he  had  underg<me,  was  de- 
tamed  at  Roostooff' s  house,  who  kindly  undertook  his 
cure,  and  promised  to  send  him  after  the  others  iWien 
he  had  recovered.  The  rest  of  the  party  proceeded  to 
Quin's  house,  where  they  were  hospitably  entertained 
four  days. 

From  that  time  they  were  forwarded  in  carts,  frdm 
one  settlement  to  another,  till  they  arrived  at  Swelien- 
dam,  about  one  hundred  miles  from  the  Gape.  Wher- 
ever they  passed  they  experienced  the  humanity  of  the 
farmers,  and  their  wants  were  reUeved  with  a  liberal 
hand. 

At  Swellendam  they  were  detained  till  orders  should 
be  received  from  the  governor  at  the  Cape,  in  regard  to 
tibeir  future  destiny,  Holland  and  Great  Britain  being  at 
that  time  at  war.  At  length  two  of  the  party  were  or- 
dered to  be  forwarded  to  the  Cape,  in  order  to  be  ex- 
amined, while  the  rest  were  to  remain  at  Swellendam. 
Accordingly  Wormington,  and  Leary  proceeded  to  the 
Cape,  where,  after  being  strictly  interrogated,  they  were 
sent  on  board  a  Dutch  man-of-war  lying  inthf,1my,  with 
orders  that  they  should  be  set  to  work.  WMIe  in  this 
situation,  Wormington  having  discovered  tliat  tfte  boot- 
swain  was  engaged  in  some  fraudulent  practices,  impii^ 
dently  threatened  to  give  information,  on  which  the  Ixjat- 
swain,  desiring  him  and  his  companion  to  step  into  a  boat, 
conveyed  them  on  board  a  Danish  East  Indiaman,  just 
f;etting  under  Way,  and  by  this  fortunate  incident  they 
first  reached  their  native  land. 


ft^ , 


■#' 


BlMABCABLt  tHIfWIKKt. 


•6.f 


Btit  to  retnni  to  the.fato  of  the  rest  Though  the 
flamee  of  war  w«re  raging  between  the  two  nationi. 
the  Dutch  govemnient,  at  the  Cape,  being  informed  oi 
the  particulars  of  the  loss  of  the  Urosvonor,  with  a  hu- 
manity which  does  than  infinite  honor,  despatched  a 
large  party  in  quest  of  the  unhappy  wanderers. '  This 
detachment  consisted  of  one  hundred  Europeans,  and 
three  hundred  Hottentots,  attended  by  a  great  number 
of  wagons,  each  drawn  by  eiriit  bullooks.  The  com- 
mand wia(^%iven  to  captain  mUer,  with  orders  to  pro- 
ceed, if  possible,  to  the  wrack,  and  load  with  such  articles 
as  m^t  be  saved,  and  to  endeavor  to  discover  such  of 
the  sufferers  as  were  still  wandering  about  the  country, 
or  in  the  hands  of  the  natives. 

De  Lusso  and  Bvans  accompanied  this  expedition  as 
ffuides ;  but  Hynes,  being  still  very  weak,  was  left  at 
Swellendam.  The'|>arty  was  well  provided  with  such 
articles  as  were  most  likely  to  insure  them  a  favorable 
r^eption  from  the  natives,  and  procure  the  liberty  of 
the  unfortunate  persons  they  might  find  in  tfieir  -<»-ay. 
They  proceeded  with  spirit  and  alacrity,  till  the  Csixtres, 
in  consequence  of  their  antipathy  to  the  coloiiiste,  inter- 
rupted the  expedition.  In  their  progress  they  found 
Thomas  Lewis,  who  had  been  abandoned  by  his  com- 
panions, as  before  mentioned,  and  William  Haiterly,  who 
was  servant  to  the  second  mate,  and  had  continued  with 
that  party  till  he  alone  survived.  Thus  the  fate  of  one 
division  was  ascertained.  '^ 

At  other  places  on  the  road  they  met  with  seven  las- 
cars,  and  two  black  women,  one  of  whom  was  servant 
to  Mrs.  Ij<^e,  and  the  other  to  Mrs.  Hosea.  From  these 
women  they  learned,  that  soon  after  Hynes*  party  had 
left  the  captain  and  the  ladies,  they  also  took  separate 
routes;  the  latter  intending  to  join  the  lascars,  but  what 
became  of  them  after  this  separation  was  unknown. 
They,  indeed,  saw  the  captain's  coat  on  one  of  the  na- 
tives, but  whether  he  died  or  was  killed  c&uld  never  be 
discovered.  4 

After  the  enmity  of  the  natives  prevented  the  progress 
of  the*  wagons,  some  of  the  party  travelled  forward  filteea 


( 

I 

r 

t 

V 
V( 

a 
n 
oi 


■iife.- 


m' 


LOM  Of  TU  OAO«?BIIOB  UUMAMAN.  1| 

diyii  on  horseback,  in  the  prosecution  of  their  plan,  but 
the  Caifres  still  coik»inuing  to  harass  them,  they  wero 
obliged  to  return,  after  an  absence  of  about  three  months. 

Captain  MuUer  returned  to  Swellendam,  with  thr 
three  Englishmen,  the  seven  lascars,  and  two  black  wo- 
men, the  boy.  Price,  and  the  two  guides,  De  Lasso  and 
Evans.  The  people  of  color  were  detained  at  Swellen- 
dam ;  but  the  English  were  forwarded  to  the  Cape,  where 
after  being  examined  by  the  governor,  they  were  (termit- 
ted  to  take  tbeir  passage  to  Europe  in  a  Danish  ship,  thtt 
captain  of  which  promised  to  land  them  in  iSngiand . 
but,  excepting  Price,  who  was  set  on  shore  at  Weymouth, 
they  were  alfcarried  to  Copenhagen,  from  whence  thi9). 
at  last  found  their  way  to  England.  , . 

Such  was  the  termmation  of  the  adventures  of  these 
unfortunate  people:  but  the  inquiry  concerning  the  fsite 
of  the  captain  and  nis  party  was  not  drc^ped.  Though 
it  is  probable  that  before  the  first  Dutch  expedition  coiud 
have  reached  them  they  had  all  paid  the  deb^  of  natuiy; 
rumors  had  been  spread  that  several  of  thtJ^i^Ush  were 
still  in  captivity  among  the  natives,  and  the<M  obtained 
such  general  belief,  that  M.  Vailant,  whose  philanthropy 
equalled  his  geniius  and  resolution,  made  another  attempt 
to  discover  the  reputed  captives ;  but  he  could  loom  no- 
thing decisive  as  to  their  situation  or  final  fate. 

The  public  mind,  however,  continued  still  t^  be  agi- 
tated, and  the  interest  which  all  nations  took  in  the  fate 
of  the  unhappy  persons,  particularly  the  women,  some 
of  whom  it  was  reported  had  been  seen,  induced  a  second 
party  of  Dutch  colonists,  with  the  sanction  of  govern- 
ment, to  make  another  effort  to  explore  the  ccMfttry.  and 
to  feach  the  wreck.  '#^ 

These  men,  amply  provided,  set  out  on  the  twenty- 
fourth  of  August,  1793,  from  Kaffer  Keyl't  Wver,  to- 
wards cape  Natal,  on  the  coast  of  which  tlie  Grosvenor 
was  supposed  to  have  been  wrecked.  Cf  this  expedition 
we  have  a  journal  kept  by  Van  Reenen,  one  of  the  party, 
and  published  by  captain  Riou.  It  would  not  be  gene- 
rally  interesting  to  the  reader  to  give  the  meagre  details 
0^  4^t|iiice  travellod,  and  elephants  killed  j  of  dan^^or 


*      IBMASKAILI  •HII'WIBcn. 


Ancoitfitered,  and  riven  crossed ;  we  shall  therefore  con- 
fine ourselves  to  such  incidents  as  appear  to  deserve  no- 
tine,  or  are  connected  with  the  melancholy  subject  of  our 
narrative. 

After  proceeding  an  immense  way,  on  the  third  of 
November  they  arrived  amons  the  Hambonaas,  a  nation 
quite  different  from  the  Cafires.  They  have  a  vellow 
comLlexion,  and  their  long,  coarse  hair  is  frizzled  up  in 
the  form  of  a  turban.  Some  of  these  people  informed  our 
adventurers,  that,  subject  to  them,  there  was  a  village  of 
bastard  Christians,  descended  from  people  shipwrecked 
on  the  coast,  of  whom  three  old  women  were  still  alive 
and  married  to  a  Hambonaa  chief  This  intelligence 
roused  their  curiosity,  and  they  were  fortunate  enough  to 
obtain  an  interview  with  the  old  women  in  question, 
who  said  they  were  a^sters,  but  having  been  sflfpwrecked 
when  children,  they  could  not  say  to  what  nation  they 
originally  belonged.  The  Dutch  adventurers  offered  to 
take  them  and  their  children  back  on  their  return,  at 
which  they  seemed  much  pleased.  It  appears  probable, 
that  the  reports  which  had  been  spread,  in  regard  to 
some  European  women  being  among  the  natives,  origi- 
nated from  this  circumstance,  and  as  the  existence  of 
any  t>ther  white  people  in  this  quarter  was  neither  known 
nor  suspected,  it  was  naturally  concluded  that  they  must 
have  belonged  to  the  Grosvenor. 

The  Dutch  afterwards  fell  in  with  Trout,  whose  name 
has  been  mentioned  in  the  preceding  narrative.  He  at 
first  engaged  to  conduct  them  to  the  spot  where  the  Gros- 
venor was  wrecked,  and  informed  them  that  nothing 
'was  then  to  be  seen,  excepting  Ibome  cannon,  iron,  bal- 
last, and  load :  adding,  that  all  the  unfortunate  crew  of 
that  ship  |iad  perished,  some  by  the  hands  of  the  natives 
and  the  r<ept  of^hunger. 

Trout,  who,  it  is  to  be  feared,  was  guilty  of  much  du-' 
plicity  from  the  first,  pretended  that  he  was  a  fi'eeman., 
and  had  sailed  in  an  English  shin  f^om  Malacca ;  but 
finding  himself  likely  to  be  detectea,  and  probably  appre- 
hensive of  being  carried  back  to  the  Cape,  he  cautiously 
avoided  the  Dutch  in  the  sequel,  and  lef%  them  to  find 


( 
t 
t 
r 

J 

t 
t 


■■^'■! 


L08B  or   THK  OftOSTBHCNl  INIIUMAN. 


i 


their  way  to  the  v  reek  in  the  best  mamier  Uief  W9n 
able. 

Ae  they  were  proceeding  to  the  tpot,  one  of  the  party, 
named  Houltahauaen,  unfortunately  fell  into  a  pit  of  burnt 
•takee,  bv  which  he  was  terribly  wounded  in  the  palm 
of  one  of  hia  hands,  which  eventually  jModuced  a  locked 
iaw,  and  terminated  in  his  death.  These  pits  are  du^ 
by  the  natives,  and  being  covered  over  with  branches  ot 
trees  and  grass,  serve  as  snares  for  the  elephants,  which 
frequently  fall  into  them,  and  are  thus  taken. 

Several  of  the  party,  however,  proceeded  on  horse- 
back to  the  wreck,  ana  found  nothmg  more  than  what 
Trout  had  described  remaining.  It  was  plainly  per- 
ceived  that  fires  had  been  made  in  the  vicinity,  ana  on 
a  rising  gjround,  between  two  woods,  was  a  pit,  where 
things  had  been  buried  and  du^  out  again.  This  like- 
wise tallied  with  the  information  of  Trout,  who  told 
them  that  all  the  articles  collected  from  the  wreck  had 
been  dispersed  over  the  country,  and  that  most  of  them 
had  been  carried  to  Rio  de  la  Goa,  to  be  scridi    That 

{>lace  was  represented  to  be  about  four  days'  journey 
rom  the  scene  of  the  catastrophe.  *^^ 

The  natives  in  the  neighborhood  expressed  great  as- 
tonishment that  the  Dutch  had  been  at  such  infinite 
pains  to  come  in  search  of  the  unfortunate  crew,  and 
they  all  promised,  that  in  case  of  any  similar  disaster 
they  would  protect  such- people  as  might  be  thrown  upcm 
the  coast,  it  they  could  be  assured  of  obtaining  beads, 
copper,  and  iron,  for  their  trouble,  which  was  liberally 
promised  by  the  Dutch.  -^-^ 

These  intrepid  adventurers,  who  were  now  foiir  hun- 
dred and  thirty-seven  leagues  distant  from  the  Cape,  and 
two  hundred  twenty-six  beyond  any  Christina  habita- 
tion, finding  that  nothing  farther  was  to  bevMcovep^d 
relative  to  die  wreck,  or  the  fate  of  the  persons  who  had 
reached  the  shore,  determined  to  return,  particularly  as 
Houitshausen's  illness  increased. 

On  their  way  back  they  called  at  the  bastard  Ohna" 
tian  village,  and  would  have  taken  mider  their  protieic- 
tion  the  three  old  women,  who  seemed  desirous  or  Ktingf 


r*t'MMMATLKAXLt  8BIPWRKCK8. 


«i,i 


among  Christ:  ins,  but  they  wished  first  to  gather  in  theii 
crops ;  adding,  when  that  business  was  accomplished, 
their  whole  race,  to  the  number  of  four  hundred,  would 
be  happy  to  depart  from  their  present  settlement.  Every 
indulgence  was  promised  them  in  case  they  should  be 
disposed  to  emigrate  to  the  Cape.  On  seeing  people  of 
the  same  complexion  as  themselves  they  appeared  to  be 
exceedingly  agitated.'    ':*m?irxv^miT.m  ^0ii'  .kmiiaunii*  -0 

On  th^  homeward  journey  the  Dutch  shot  maiiy  ele- 
phants and  sea-cows ;  but  on  the'first  of  December  they 
met  with  a  terrible  accident,  while  employed  in  cutting 
up  the  sea-cows  killed  the  preceding  day.  ''  As  we  were 
thus  engaged,  (says  the  journalist,)  a  large  elephant 
made  up  to  the  wi^ns;  we  instantly  pursued  and  at- 
tacked him,  when,  having  received  several  shot,  by 
which  he  twice  fell^  the  crept  into  a  very  thick  under- 
wood. Thinking  we  had  killed  him,  Tjaart  Vander 
Valdt,  Lodewyk  Prins,  and  Ignatus  Mulder,  advanced 
to  th<)  spot,  when  he  rushed  out '  furiously  from  the 
thicket,  and  catching  hold  of  Prins  with  his  trunk,  trod 
hun  t(v  death,  driving  one  of  his  tusks  through  tiie  body, 
and  throwing  it  up  into  the  air  to  the  height  of  thirty 
leec 

''  The  others,  perceiving  that  there  was  no  possibility 
of  escaping  on^iorseback,  dismoimted,  and  crept  into  the 
thicket  to  hide  themselves.  The  elephant  seehig  nothing 
in  view  but  (me  of  the  horses,  followed  him  for  come 
time,  and  then  turning  about  came  back  to  the  spot 
where  the  dead  man  was  left  At  this  instant  our  wbole 
party  renewed  the  ajttack,  and  after  he  had  received 
several  more  wounds,  again  escaped  into  the  thickest  part 
of  the  wood. 

**  We  now  supposed  ourselves  safe,  but  while  we  were 
digging  a  j|[rave  for  our  unfortunate  companion,  the  ele-> 
phant  rushed  out  again,  and  drove  us  all  from  the  place. 
jTjaart  Vanckr  Yaldt  got  another  shot  at  him ;  a  joint  at- 
tack being  commenced,  he  began  to  stagger,  and  falling, 
the  Hottentots  despatched  him  as  he  lay  on  the  groimd." 

The  rest  of  their  journey  afforded  little  worth  notice. 
bi  January,  1791,  they  reached  their  respective  hornet, 


-■••ft 


'-lews •  ^' K^f  n-^ 7 ■;>i3«.'^'n' "■--•^ •j-»"'/r"-i'( •  '  "**^ '" 


ere 
5len 
,ce. 
at- 


ice. 


;^*'- 


LOSS  ^  T8S  ^tftosysioit  i|9m4MAN.  ii 

I 

after  surmountmg  inoredible  difficnlties,  in  an  expedi* 
tion  to  which  they  were  prompted  solely  by  a  principle 
of  humanity,  and  the  desire  of  relieving,  if  any  remained 
alive,  such  of  our  countrymen  as  miffht  be  ammig  the 
natives*  No  intelligence  of  this  kind  could,  however, 
after  the  most  diligent  inquiries,  be  ebtamed.  They 
were,  indeed,  informed  that  the  ship's  cook  had  been 
alive  about  two  years  before  the  period  of  their  journey, 
but  that  he  then  caught  the  small-po3c  and  died. 

We  cannot  conclude  this  mournful  narrative  better 
than  with  the  sensible  reflections  of  captain  Riou. 

"  Had  the  party  (says  he)  that  set  out  in  search  of 
these  shipwrecked  people,  in  1783,  prosecuted  tbnr  jour- 
ney with  the  same  degree  of  z^al  and  resolution  that 
Van  Beenen's  party  manifested,  it  is  possible  they  might 
have  discovered  and  relieved  some  who  have  since  pe- 
rished. Yet,  as  they  cou^d  not  have  arrived  at  the 
place  of  the  wreck  in  less  than  siis  months  after  the  dis- 
aster hc^pened,  there  is  no  great  probabiUty  for  suppos- 
ing, that  after  such  a  length  of  tiine  had  elapsed,  any 
great  number  of  the  unfortunate  sufferers  could  be  re- 
maining alive.-  rti> 
^^.  "  But  what  we  have  most  to  regret  is,  that,  p^haps, 
the  failure  of  the  endeavors  of  the  unfortunate  aww  to 
save  their  lives  was  owing  to  their  own  misconduct  It 
is  too  often  the  case,  that  disorder  and  confusion  are  the 
consequences  of  extreme  distress,  and  that  despair,  aeiz- 
ing  on  the  unprincipled  mind,  hurries  it  on  to  a  subver- 
sion of  all  good  order  and  discipline :  so  that  at  the  mo- 
ment when  the  joint  efforts  of  the  whole  are  most  neces- 
sary for  the  general  good,  each  desponding,  Uioughtlew 
member  acts  from  the  impulse  of  the  moment,  in  what- 
ever manner  his  tumultuous  feelings  may  direct ;  .and 
from  an  erroneous  idea  of  self-mterest,  or,  wonderful  as 
it  may  appear,  from  a  desire  of  gratifying  a  rebellious 
and  turbulent  spirit,  at  a  time  when  it  can  be  done  with 
impunity,  is  always  ready  to  overturn  every  plan  that 
may  be  proposed  by  his  superiors,  and  the  considerate 
.few  that  happen  to  be  of  the  party. 

"  Such  must  have  been,  and  such  we  are  indeed  told 


-^.jnt^ 


^Ifafc 


A 


40 


m 


SBHARKABLB  SIIIPWBBCKIi. 


m'OJk 


was,  the 


situatidn  of  thd  ci^lT  df  the  Grosvenor  subse- 
quent to  their  shipwreck. 

"  Though  it  may  be  said  to  be  very  easy  to  see  errors 
when  their  consequences  are  apparent,  it  will  not  surely 
be  too  much'  to  assert,  that  when  this  sh'ip's  crew  vas 
once  safely  on  shore,  with  the  advantage  of  such  arti- 
cles as  they  could  procure  from  the  wreck,  their  situation, 
however  deplorable,  could  not  be  considered  as.  hopeless. 
For  had  a  chosen  body  of  ten  or  twenty  men  riSarched  a 
few  days  to  the  northward,  thev  must  have  fallen  in 
with  Rio  de  la  Goa,  where  it  seloom  happens  that  there 
is  not  a  French  or  Portuguese  slave  ship.  But  allowing 
captain'Ooxson  was  much  out  of  his  reckoning,  and  that 
he  etupposed  himself  much  nearer  to  the  Cape  than  he 
really  was,  they  might  then  have  existed  on  ^the  sea- 
coast,  in  that  climate,^* sheltered  by  huts,  till  ready  to  set 
out,  and  by  preserving  order  and  discipline,  and  C|>n-' 
ducting  themselves  piMperly  in  regard  to  the  natives, 
t|iey  might  gradually  nave  proceeded  in  safety  to  the 
ibrritories  of  the  Dutch. 

<'  Had  the  crew  continued  under  the  orders  of  their 
officers,  either  of  those  objects  might  have  beieM  accom- 
plished, by  men  whose  minds  were  not  wholly  resigned 
to^kiSpair;  or  they  might  have  subsisted  on  what  pro- 
vision they  could  pick  up  from  the  wreck,  t€|^ther  with 
what  they  could  purchase  from  the  native^till  a  boat 
could  have  been -^constructed  and  sent  to  solicit  assistance 
from  the  Capo. 

"These  reflections  have  been  extended  by  considering 
the  circumstances  in  which  the  shipwrecked  people  were 
placed;  from  all  which  it  may  fairly  be  concluded,  that 
the  greater  part  might  have  effected  a  return  to  their  na- 
tive land,  had  they  been  guided  by  any  idea  erf"  the  ad- 
vantages of  discipline  and  subordination.       '^^  ^'  *^^' 

"it  is  to  be  hoped,  then,  that  the  fatal  consequences 
attending .  disorderly  conduct  on  these  calamitous  occa- 
sions, will  impress  on  the  minds  of  seamen  this  incono 
tVovertible  truth,  that  their  only  hope  of  safe^ynust  ^} 
pend  upon  obedience."  ^*^  ** 


■f^; 


.*««'-;  ^trt^srv  iiJUP  •,  s  »  *-&§»« 


iiX  Iff;  ."  i  A 

•,f     LOSS  OF  THE  EAST-INDIAMAN,  THE 

:n  l^^^^.i  FATTYSALEM, 


«** 


f: 


-^ 


0»  the^oast  of  Coromatidel,  Augiist  28/A,  1761. 


-^, 


f 


The  following  narrative  of  tBe  loss  of  the  Fattysalem 
is  given  in  a  letter  from  M.  de  Kearney,  a  captain  in 
Lally's  regiment,  who  was  taken  prisoner  hy  the  Eng- 
lish, to  the  count  D'Estaing,  lieutenant-general,  com- 
manding the  French  troops  in  the  East  Indies,  during 
the  war  of  1766. 

Some  tim<i  after  your  departure  from  India,  (says  M. 
de  Kearney,)  I  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  English,  at  the 
battle  of  Yandevachy,  a  small  fortll^tween  Madras  and 
Pondicherryi  My  conquerors  treat<^  me  with  the  gre^ 
est  generosity,  and  even  did  all  in  their  power  to  afete 
my  effects^  But  I  lost  every  thing  1  had  taken  with 
^e  for  the  campaign ;  the  sepoys  plundered  me  :withont 
mercy.  You  are  acquainted  with  that  undisciplined  mi- 
litia :  they  do  not  comprehend  that  it  is  possible  to  treat 
as  friends ;  li^t  is,  to  spare  as  much  as  possible  those 
who  have  been,  and  may  again  be,  their  enemies. - 

I  slept  one  night  m  the  English  camp,  and  colonel 
Calliot  paid  me  the  greatest  attention.  The  next  day  I 
obtained  permission  to  go  on  my  parole  to  Pondicherry, 
where  I  remained  several  months,  and  made  every  possi- 
ble exertion  to  procure  my  exchange.  When  the  place 
was  invested  by  the  English,  I  was  summoned,  together 
with  the  ottier  prisoners  of  war,  to  repair  to  Madfas.  I 
accordingly  went  to  that  place,  where  I  found  almost 
two  thirds  of  the  olfficers  of  the  king's  army,  taken  on 
different  occasions.  I  was,  therefore,  at  Madras  when 
the  Engli&ih,  having  made  themselves  masters  of  Pondii 
cherry,  reived  to  send  all  the  French  oflScers  to  Eng- 
land. I  was,  in  consequence,  directed  to  hold  myself  ip 
4* 


^^V- 


..  ,.„......,_ 


^   ^7'-' 


^ 


^  4M  BEMARKABLE   SHIPWRECKS. 

^  i 

readiness  for  embarking ;"  lord  Pigott,  the  governor  of 
Madras,  kindly  permitted  me  to  choose  the  way  by  which 
I  wished  to  be  conveyed  to  England.  I  chose  that  of 
" »  Bengal,  on  account  oi  the  good  accommodations  which 
lord  Pigott  had  provided  me  on  board  the  Hawk, 
and  I  shall  never  fcnrget  the  favors  and  civilities  he 
conferred  upon  me.  By  tliis  arrangement  I  hoped  to 
alleviate  the  hardships  and  fatigues  of  my  passage  to 
Europe.  The  apprehensions  arising  from  the  prospect 
of  such  a  long  voyage,  with  upwards  of  fifty  prisoners 

#  of  war,  of  all  descriptions,  confined  within  a  narrow 
compaM,  and  suffering  many  inconveniences ;  but,  above 
all,  the  necessity  to  which,  as  I  was  informed,  we  should 
be  reduced,  of  living  seven  or  eight  months  on  salt  pro^ 
visions,  though  the  company  had  given  orders  to  the 

''^'       central  V,  induced  me  to  take  this  step,  as  the  safest  un- 
der sucii  circumstances.    It  was,  however,  the  cause  of 
all  my  subsequent  misj^tunes. 
The  Hawk,  in  wi^lf^ii  I  was  to  be  conveyed  to  Europe, 

Froceeded  without  >  me  from  Madras  to  Bengal,  because 
had  not  yet  settled  all  my  affairs.    I  was,  therefore,  or-- 
dered  to  prepare  to  join  her  by  the  first  oppo^^^unity  that 
should  offer,  and  which  could  not  be  far  distant  in  a  seai^^ 
son  when  vessels  were  sailing  every  week  for  the  gulf. 

The  first  ship  that  happened  to  depart  was  the  Fatty- 
salem,  which  had  been  built  at  Bombay,  amd  had  never 
been  employed  but  in  the  India  seas.  She  was  intended 
to  carry  great  part  of  the  stores  taken  by  the  English, 
and  near  five  hundred  troops,  which  had  been  thought 
fit  to  send  to  Bengal,  because,  after  the  reduction  of  Pon- 
dicherry,  they  were  not  wanted  on  that  coast. 

In  this  unfortunate  vessel  I  embarked  on  the  26th  of 
August,  1761,  and  the  same  day  set  sail.  On  the  28th, 
between  ten  and  eleven  in  the  morning,  th^  captain  of 
the  ship,  in  confidence,  told  major  Gordon,  the  principal 
officer  of  the  troops,  that  there  were  seven  feet  water  in 
the  hold,  that,  notwithstanding  the  exertions  of  the  men, 
•  the  water  continued  to  gain  upon  them,  and  that  the 
shin  could  not  live  above  two  hours  longer. 

W]^  $]^e  people  had  been  nearly  two  hours  employed 


,f^. 


:*< 


'■■'■•■'  ■■   '  '       ■'""■"■),-■■•  ■.'■"■  t  :       —■  ■■■■■■  '  ■■  ' 


of 
ipal 

in 
len, 
the 


LOpS  OF  THE  FATTTSAUm.  V 

Uffhtening  the  vessel,  by  throwing  every  thing  overboard, 
I  kept  a  watchful  eye  upon  the  captain.  I  saw  him 
speaKing  to  the  major,  with  an  air  of  consternation,  de- 
noting the  greatest  misfortune.  I  advanced  towards 
tliem  and  asked  in  a  whisper,  in  English,  what  was  the 
matter.  Major  Gordon  with  a  tremuions  voice  repeated 
what  he  had  just  heard  of  the  captain.  Stnick  with  the 
dreadful  intelligence,  but  not  deprived  of  the  power  of 
acting,  I  instantly  formed  my  resolution.  Cutting  short 
all  useless  words,  I  only  asked  the  captain  if  we  might 
not  save  ourselves  by  taking  possession  of  the  boat 
which  was  laden  with  pigs,  and  in  tow  astern  of  the  ves- 
sel. He  replied)  with  the  most  dejected  and  discouraging 
look,  that  this  expedient  would  only  cause  us  to  survive 
a  few  hours  those  we  should  leave  on  board ;  and  he 
did  not  think  this  measure  practicable  among  so  many 
soldiers  and  sailors.  This  answer  ccmvinced  me  that 
the  pusillanimous  captain  had  no  resource.  I  told  him 
we  would  undertake  the  execution  of  the  design,  and 
that  for  his  part  he  had  only  to  observe  two  points,  nol 
to  mention  it  to  others,  and  to  follow  when  he  should 
see  us  in  the  &tal  boat.  He  immediately  left  us.  The 
major  and  I  being  left  together,  concerted  our  escape 
from  the  vessel,  which  we  executed  in  less  thai  two 
minutes.  He  descended  from  the  deck  by  a  pr  ^ate 
ladder  into  thj9  great  cabin,  to  inform  the  officers  ol  his 
regiment,  who  might  chance  to  be  there,  of  our  desi^xi, 
for  the  moments  were  too  precious  to  go  elsewhere  to 
seek  them.  For  my  part,  I  called  my  servant,  a  trusty 
fellow,  on  whom  I  could  depend.  He  had  been  a  sol- 
dier in  my  company,  and  had  likewise  been  taken  pri*^ 
soner ;  but  I  had  obtained  his  liberty  of  lord  Pigott.  I 
told  him  in  few  words  our  intention.  I  immediately 
shut  the  door,  that  the  people  might  not  see  us  f^^mi  the 
forecastle.  As  the  ship,  though  very  lai^,  had  no  gaf-^ 
lery,  I  directed  my  servant  to  go  out  at  one  of  the  win- 
dows of  the  cabin,  and  by  means  of  a  rope  he  let  him6^1f 
down  into  the  boat.  I  had  previously  furnished  him 
with  my  sword  and  a  hatchet,  ordering  him  to  despateh^ 
without  mercy  all  that  attempted  to  get  into  the  MM| 


\ 


BiMAEfCABLB   MBIPWIKEOKS. 


m 


excepting  they  came  from  the  spot  where  I  was  stationed 
to  conduct  our  descent.  Every  thing  was  executed  in 
the  best  manner ;  this  intelligent  servant  kept  the  boat 
for  us  till  all  those  whom  it  was  intended  to  receive  had 
descended,  and  our  little  embarkation  was  effected  with 
such  success  and  expedition  that  he  was  not  under  the 
necessity  of  making  use  of  his  weapons.  As  soon  as  the 
captain,  who  through  his  irresolution  had  nearly  lost  the 
boat,  had  entered  with  the  rest,  the  first  thing  we  did 
was  to  cut  the  rope  W  which  she  was  fastened  to  the 
vessel,  and  to  push  ofi^  so  that  in  a  short  time  we  had 
got  a  considerable  distance. 

We  were  now  in  an  open  boat,  abandoned  to  the  inF* 
pulse  of  the  wind  and  waves,  to  the  number  of  twenty- 
five  persons,  among  whom  were  two  young  ladies,  the 
wives  of  English  oncers,  in  Ooote's  regiment,  all  badly 
accommodated,  ill-clothed,  and  mixed  promiscuously 
with  the  hogs.  Our  first  purpose  was  to  make  room, 
for  which  purpose  we  began  to  throw  the  pigs  overboard ; 
but  a  lucky  reflection  of  one  of  the  company  caused  us 
to  keep  seven,  in  order  that,  at  all  events,  we  might  not 
be  reduced  to  the  horrible  necessity  of  dev(>uring  each 
other,  which  must  have  been  the  case  without  this 
wretched  resource.  Having  thus  cleared  the  boat  a 
little,  we  were  obliged  to  attend  to  another  point  equally 
pressing.  Each  of  us  took  off  his  coat  or  waistcoat,  to 
make  a  sail  to  our  bark,  and  even  the  ladies  were  each 
obliged  to  give  one  of  the  petticoats  they  had  on,  which 
were  only  of  muslin.  All  these  things,  being  joined  and 
tied  together,  with  our  handkerchiefs  torn  into  slips, 
formed  a  kind  of  sail,  equally  weak  and  awkward. 
-  While  we  were  thus  employed,  the  unfortunate  crew 
kept  making  signals  that  every  thing  was  repaired,  with 
a  view  to  induce  Us  to  return.  This  artifice  was  em- 
ployed by  our  wretched  companions,  in  the  hope  of  sav- 
mg  themselves  in  our  boat.  If  we  had  been  so  weak  as 
to  listen  to  our  captain,  who  fell  into  such  an  evident 
snare,  we  should  have  gone  back,  aiid  all  have  perished 
together.  We,  however,  took  care  not  to  go  near  them. 
andr  it  was  fortunate  for  us  that  we  did ;  for  a  few  minutM 


■  '■W7;vT^i»I--w^^'!«r^.--TTiji;Br_',r:- 


LCNM   or  THE  FATTT8ALSM.  m 

afterwards  the  ship  presented  the  most  distressing  spec- 
tacle. She  was  no  longer  under  government ;  sometimss 
she  drifted  away,  and  at  others  she  turned  round  like  a 
whirlwind.  Soon  afterwards  one  of  the  masts  wont  by 
the  board ;  another  foUowjsd,  and  the  third  wont  next. 
The  ship  was  now  a  sheer-hulk,  still  floating  at  the  will 
of  the  waves ;  but  which  appeared  to  be  kept  afloat  only 
by  the  incessant  exertions  of  the  poor  wretches,  whose 
piercing  cries  filled  us  with  horror.  A  fog  came  on ;  Ave 
could  no  longer  distinguish  the  vessel,  and  she  must  i%a 
short  time  have  gone  jto  the  bott<Hn.     ~  ^ 

I  It  is  always  by  comparison  that  we  are  fortunate  or 
miserable.  What  great  reason  had  we  to  thank  Heaven 
for  having  preserved  us  from  the  fate  to  which  between 
five  and  six  hundred  perscHis  left  on  board  were  doomed. 
But  what  was  the  price  of  our  escape  ?  For  what  mise- 
ries reserved?  And,  how  melancholy  our  situation! 
In  the  open  sea,  in  a  crazy  boat,  which  a  single  wave 
would  have  sent  to  the  bottom,  in  the  hand  of  Provi- 
dence, without  compass,  or  any  other  rigging  than  our 
little  sail,  which  required  all  our  attention.  ai 

We  had  not  a  drop  of  water,  nor  provisions  of  any 
kind.  Constantly  wet  with  the  waves  which  entered 
our  boat,  and  continually  employed  in  baling  the  water, 
with  which  we  were  incessantly  inundated;  a.id,  not- 
withstanding this  fatiguing  labor,  were. shivering  with 
cold,  because  we  had  very  few  clothes  to  cover  our- 
selves, and  those  few  were  thoroughly  soaked.  In  this 
state  we  floated  at  the  mercy  of  the  waves  seven  days 
and  seven  nights. 

Our  only  nourishment  was  a  spoonful  and  a  Ifalf  of 
pig's  blood,  distributed  to  each  every  twenty-four  hours ; 
for,  in  order  to  allow  two  spoonfuls,  it  was  necessary  to 
mix  with  it  a  little  salt  water ;  and  never  was  any  thing 
more  exactly  measured  than  this  scanty  pittance.  Many 
of  us,  whose  appetites  an4  stomachs  were  equally  good, 
eat  the  flesh  of  the  pigs  quite  raw,  and  we  killed  one 
each  day,  so  that  on  the  seventh  we  had  nothing  leiu 
My  principal  regale  was  the  liver,  or  coagulated  Hood) 
which  I  only  sucked,  and  then  spit  it  out  My  seryant. 
our  butcher,  always  reserved  that  part  for  me. 


• 


BlMAKKAfiLI  SRffWBBOKt. 


I;.'k 


•^*-Soon  after  twelve  o'clock  of  the  seventh  night,  we 
thought  we  heard  a  noise,  that  at  first  appeared  very 
strange,  but  which  we  afterwards  judged  to  proceed  from 
the  dashing  of  breakers  against  the  locks,  or  against 
some  shore.  We  floated  between  fear  and  joy,  and  in- 
patiently  waited  for  daylight.  That  light,  bo  slow  in 
its  approach,  fft  length  arrived,  and  every  thing  disap- 
peared. Judge  of  the  revolution  produced  in  our  minds 
and  bodies  by  this  vain  hope  destroyed,  as  soon  as  con- 
CQived.  It  plunged  us  into  such  profound  consternation, 
that  we  should  not  have  been  able  to  bear  up  against  it, 
had  not  the  hand  of  the  Almighty  speedily  afforded 
relief. 

i'  About  seven  the  same  morning,  one  of  the  company 
cried  out,  "  Land,  or  something  like  it."  We  now  dis- 
tinguished in  the  horizon  a  fpeck  which  our  ardent  de- 
sire to  meet  with  land  actually  caused  us  to  take  for 
such.  Nature  was  once  more  animated  by  a  ray  of 
hope.  We  directed  our  course  towards  the  point  which 
appeared  in  ^e  horizon,  and  at  nine  began  to  distinguish 
hills,  but  saw  no  land  till  we  were  on  the  beach,  because 
the  shore  is  so  extremely  low.  It  is  impossible  to  de- 
scribe the  efiect  this  cheering  sight  produced  upon  us.  1 
will,  however,  endeavor  to  give  you  some  idea  of  it. 
We  all  immediately  experienced  a  certain  impression  of 
joy,  vigor  of  Hfe,  with  which  our  souls  were  penetrated, 
as  a  person  is  penetrated  by  the  heat,  when,  after  endur- 
ing excessive  cold,  he  comes  to  a  good  fire,  whose  genial 
influence  reanimates  his  benumbed  powers.  We  felt  a 
delicious  sensation  of  our  feeble  existence,  and  this  sensa- 
tion, aiffused  through  all  our  faculties,  seemed  to  restore 
us  to  new  liie.  It  is  only  those  who  have  been  in  the 
same  situation  that  can  know  the  inexpressible  enjoy- 
ment of  a  moment  of  which  assuredly  no  other  situation 
in  life  can  aflbrd  an  idea. 

The  qMestion  now  was  how  to  disembark.  Here  we 
were  uiraer  some  embarrassment ;  for  the  surf  was  very 
strong,  and  the  desert  appearance  of  the  coast,  on  which 
wv  dKicovered  neither  house,  nor  inhabitants,  nor  chelin^ 
gtd&,  (small  boi^ts  which  aire  used  in  the  East  Indic^  for 


ri'^tt'fMM?  n^fi 


^:UL-!?^.?.y;-.rfi-'.'i.:'^t;>^v^;WJ*\_'^^. 


LOeS  OF  TBI  rATTTV^LIM. 

embarking  and  going  on  shore,)  was  a  more  convincing 
proof  ihan  the  assertion  of  the  pusillanimous  captain,  that 
no  European  boat  had  ever  landed  there.  A  consulta- 
tion was  held,  in  which  it-was  resolved  to  make  the  at- 
tempt to  let  those  save  themselvos  who  could.  This 
opinion,  snpported  by  those  who  could  swim,  and  par- 
ticularly by  the  captain,  who  eved  declared  that  he  was 
sure  of  getting  on  shore  safe,  was  too  contrary  to  hu- 
manity to  be  adopted  by  good  sense.  It  was  the  same 
ai^  condemning  those  who  unfortunately  were  not  famil- 
iar with  the  water,  and  in  particular  the  two  females 
and  myself,  who  knew  no  more  how  to  swim  than  they, 
to  almost  inevitable  death,  at  least,  excepting  the  Al-  . 
mighty  should  work  a  new  miracle  in  our  behalf  I 
reprobated  the  measure,  and  told  the  captain  in  a  firm 
tone  that  it  should  not  be  executed  as  lon^  as  I  had 
breath ;  that  since  part  of  the  company  were  m  the'same 
predicament  with  myself,  and  my  servant,  whose  life* 
was  as  dear  to  me  as  my  own,  it  was  their  duty  to  steer 
the  boat  in  such  a  manner,  that  we  might  all  get  to  land 
in  safety.  I  added,  holding  my  sword  drawn  before 
him,  that  he  should  answer  with  his  life  for  that  of  eve- 
ry individual.  *  i 

At  these  words  an  English  officer,  of  the  name  of 
Scott,  a  hotheaded  man,  and  almost  inclined  to  the  most 
violent  measures,  exclaimed,  "What!  does  a  single 
Frenchman,  and  prisoner  of  war,  here  pretend  to  give 
law  to  us,  and  dare  to  call  us  LarbariansV'  "Sir,"  said 
I,  calmly,  "  our  common  misfortune  renders  us  all  eqiial ; 
I  am  free  here  as  well  as  you,  and  repeat  it  at  the  risk 
of  all  the  satisfaction  that  may  be  demanded  of  me  when 
on  shore,  the  captain  shall  answer  with  his  life  for  the 
lives  of  all  our  companions." 

The  captain  being  intimidated,  ordered  two  lascars, 
good  swimmers,  that  had  escaped  with  us,  to  place  them- 
selves beside  me,  and^not  to  quit  me  till  I  was  cmj^oi^. 
He  then  went  to  the  helm,  and  managed  so  skill|ill^,% 
rather  with  such  good  fortune,  that  we  ran  agiroiU^ 
without  any  accident.  In  consemience,  however,  oPfc 
very  natural  impatience,  twelve  <k  Our  companions,  tll^ 


•t? 


MUfABKABLB   SHIPWBIOKB. 


moment  the  boat  struck,  leaped  into  tho  water,  and  even 
lome  of  those  who  could  swim  nearly  perished.  They 
were  besides  separated  from  us,  the  boat  being  thrown 
by  two  waves  into  a  river,  which  we  did  not  perceive 
till  we  had  entered  it  This  river  was  so  rapid  that  our 
boat  was  soon  driven  aground,  and  we  thus  had  an  op- 
portunity of  getting  on  shore. 

I  wish  I  could  describe  this  moment ;  but  how  shall  1 
trace  it,  with  all  its  circumstances,  with  the  simplicity, 
the  energy,  the  truth  of  nature  ?  We  scarcely  felt  the 
gpround,  when  each,  occupied  only  with  himself  and  the 
single  sentjiment  of  his  own  preservation,  no  longer 
thought  of  his  companions.  Our  eyes  sought  only  fresh 
water,  and  something  to  prolong  our  existence.  We  per- 
ceived a  small  lake,  and  we  instantly  ran  to  its  banks, 
Sluneing  overhead  in  the  water  like  ducks,  to  allay  a 
readful  thirst,  a  thirst  of  seven  whole  days,  to  which 
the  heat  of  a  burning  fever  bears  no  comparison.  It 
would  be  necessary  to  have  endured,  for  the  same  length 
of  time,  the  .devouring  fire  of  thirst,  of  all  human  wants 
the  most  insupportable,  and  the  most  pressing,  to  form 
any  conception  of  ours,  and  our  eagerness  to  appease  it. 
In  such  a  situation,  the  sufferer  would  give  for  a  glass 
of  water  all  the  gold  and  all  the  diamonds  of  India :  he 
would  give  the  world.     From  this  you  m{iy  judge  or  our 

J>rotracted  sufferings,  our  transports  on  the  banks  of  the 
ake,  and  the  delight  we  experienced.  Having  drank 
our  fill,  we  began  some  to  eat  the  grass,  and  others  the 
shell-fish,  which  fortunately  happened  to  be  on  the  spot 
where  we  landed,  and  duriuj^  forty-eight  hours  we  had 
no  other  nourishment  ^<^ 

We  now  began  to  be  distressed  at  our  separation  into 
two  parties.  We  endeavored  to  join  each  other  again, 
but  being  prevented  by  the  depth  of  the  torrent  that 
separated  us,  each  company  began  to  march  towards  the 
Interior  of  the  country,  in  quest  of  some  habitation.  The 
CQimliy  belonged  to  the  dominions  of.  the  Rajah  of  Arsa- 
po'ir,  situated  near  the  mouth  of  the  Ganges.  We  had 
jDOt  advanced  far,  when  a  snare  was  laid  for  us  by  the 
natives,  that  they  might  the  more  easily  get  us  into  their 


..5V.. 


V' 


fjpa»  or  THI  fATTYIALtM.  ^ 

power.  Two  fishermen,  by  whom  we  had  been  diB- 
covered^were  directed  to  tell  uB  to  remain  wh^  we 
were.  Thoy  assured  us  thitt  the  sorerei^  of  the  place 
was  informed  of  our  arrival  in  his  dominions,  that  he 
was  Mquainte^  with  ova  disaster,  and  our  ualbrtunate 
situation,  and  that,  being  $  prince  of  a  beneTflent  dispo- 
sition, he  would  very  soon  send  us  relief  of  e^ery  kiii^* 
A  few  ho|!irs  afterwards  a  quantity  of  rice  and  ho^B  lard 
was  actually  brought  us,  with  the  Rajoh'q  compluniinta, 
and  a  promise  that  the  follo^uu  day  we  slioula  be  shel- 
tered from  the  inclemency  fnthe  air,  and  jyarticularly 
the  night  dews^  which  was  very  dangerous  v^  that  ch- 
mate.  This  promise  they  punctually  oerfon^ed.  for  the 
next  dav  pcK>ple  came  to  fetch  us,  but jylwas  £»  the  pur- 
pose ot  conducting  us  to  a  small  isliM;|d,  tp  Df  kepi  as 
prisoners.  Each  of  the  two  division/i  was  conducted  Vy 
a  differ 3nt  route,  and  we  knew  not  ^hat  had, become  pf 
the  other,  Th^^re  we  remained  seven  weeks,  having  no 
othef  nourishment  than  black  rice,  on  Pj^y^g  Cbr  i^  and 
twice  a  week  detestable  salt  fish ;  ana  to  procure  even 
this  we  were  obliged  to  sell  every  thing,wf>  nfid  ftliout  us. 
We,  Vweyer,  found  means  to  ta^e  tw6  blacks,  to  whose 
care  we  were  consigned,  and  t6  prpcurejof  them  some 
indulgences.  One  of  our  ladies,  Mr^.  Ti^it,  a  native  of 
Irejiand,  who  had  a  good  voice,  sung  theni  wume  Cngli^ 
songs,  ,t9  which  they  ustened  with  nea$  pleasure,  thou^ 
they  understood  not  a  w6rd  of  thent  'fhw  compl^- 
a^ance  obtained  us  from  time  to  tiniie  some  fruits  and 
other  refireshments.  The  water  we  had  to  dri^  was  so 
unwholesome,  thfit  out  of  the  two  ccMupameji  durteen 
died,  and  the  twelve  survivors  were  all  attacked  wiUi 
fevers  or  dropsies,  and  were  either  Uvid  or  yelloWi^jU;^ 
80  disfigured,  that  no  one  would  hav^  tak|^  U9  for  Eu- 
ropeans, 'fii  t{ 

But  as  no  distress  is  so  ({reat  as  to  depnve  men  f4  al! 
hope  or  the  power  of  relieving  themselves  firom  i^  so 
our  attention  was  incefwptly  dnected  towards  the  means 
of  escaping  from  our  island.  'Rie  two  laacars  who  wme 
in  our  comP^i^y  appeared  likely  to  aid  us  in  the  desiipi. 
With  a  pencil,  which  one  of  the  ladies  chfmced  to  haye 
6  . 


♦ 


V .' 


m 


4P 


r 


BBHABKABLB  SMrWRICBI. 


vreierTO^i  ▼«  wrote  a  note  to  Barasole,  whem  the  Sttj^ 
liah  have  a  small  factory.    This  we  prevailed  upon  the 
lascart  to  take,  promising  them  a  consideritble  sum  of 
money,  if  we  should  be  released  from  captivity^and  on 
our  arrivAl  at  the  first  Eur(mean  settlement.    The  las- 
cars  complied  with  our  deaiit.  And  notwitlistanding  the 
difflcultiea  of  the  journey,  they  set  off.     They  were 
obliged  to  swim  across  three  or  four  very  large  rivers, 
and  always  to  travel  in  the  night,  to  prevent  being  dis- 
covered by  the  natives^  ^^aving  escaped  many  dangers 
by  their  dexterity,  ot  sunnounted  them  by  their  boldness 
and  perseverance,  they  at  length  arrived  at  Cattack,  the 
residence  of  a  Bajah,  or  chief  of  the  Mahrattas.     On 
fh«r  ftrjiyal  at  diat  place  they  were  carried  before  the 
Rajah,  ^d  being  interrogated  respecting  theh*  business 
there,  they  gave  an  account  of  our  shipwreck,  the  man- 
ner in  whidi  we  bad  escaped,  the  distresses  we  had 
since  experienced,  and  our  confinement  by  the  Rajah  of 
Arsapour.    Hiey  did  not  forget  to  add  that  we  haa  with 
'ns  two  young  white  women,  and  that  the  men  were 
:jpe6ple  of  consequence.     The  Mahratta  chief  then  in- 
•Quired  if  the  men  were  proper  for  soldiers ;  likewise  asked 
lyhether  the  women  were  very  fair,  and  handsbme  enough 
for  his  seraglio.    The  lascars  having  satisfied  him  rela- 
jtive  to  theM  particnlar9,  the^ajah  immediately  sent  for 
^^e  son  of  tlM  Rajah  of  Arsapour,  who  was  then  his  hos- 
^^tage,  and  ordered  him  to  write  to  his  father,  to  send  off 
^to  Cattack,  immediately  on  the  receipt  of  his  letter,  the 
'Europeans,  b6th  men  and  women,  whom  he  had, for  two 
months,  kept  prisoners  in  an  island.    Conformably  to  the 
.policy  of  an  the  petty  sovereigns  of  India,  he  likewise 
Hook  care  to  order  that  we  might  be  sent  oy  the  worst 
imd  least  frequented  roads,  to  conceal  us  as  much  as 
possible  from  the  sight  of  the  natives.    The  order  for 
departure  having  been  given  separately  to  the  two  par- 
tieS,'  we  set  off  with  ourguides,  and  had  proceeded  some 
homi  iikrhen  we  met.    We  had  been  parted  two  months, 
and  during  this  interval  had  received  no  tidings  of  each 
other ;  you  may  therefore  conceive  how  great  was  our  joy 
dii  teeing  one  another  again.     We  mutually  learned  the 


I 

1 
< 
( 

€ 
I 

ii 
a 

i 

V 


4flaUi  of  thote  of  our  companioiia  which  meh  wurty  had 
lost :  snd  akoleloiis,  walking  speetfca,  that  eovda  fcarealy 
walki  oongratulated  each  othar  on  being  alill  alrra*  ^'^^ 

•  Th(e4iatanoe  to  Onttaok  wna  foorlan  dnTa'  journey; 
thia  we  tmvalled  «N||k  *"^  •ktmt  wimoat  ahma. 
Our  journayi  ware  rennnort,  hacawie  we  were  all  ill, 
And  exhaualed  with  ialigua;  beaidaa,  onr  way  led  al- 
moat  oontinually  throuifa  mitfshea,  np  to  our  waiala  in* 
mud.  We  had  eeveral  Targe  riTera  to  oraia,  in  the  pai 
aage  of  which  thoee  who  eoall  awim  aanated  the  otiiera. 
The  two  young  English  women,  who  certainly  were  not 

^ibriAed  for  each  hardahips,  wem  in  a  most  deploval^le 
condition,  and  the  sufferings  or  theas  poor  eieatuiss 

SBmed^  aggravate  our  own  distresses.    One  of  them, 
rs.  Nenon,  died  ibur  days  before  we  veaefaed  Oattaok, 

•  but  the  other,  though  three  mantha  advahced  in  her 
pregnancy,  was  so  fortunate  aa  lo  aniTe  at  diat  plaee  in 
•afoty. 

Although  exhausted  with  fiuigue  at  the  end  of  each 
,  day'a  journey,  we  were  obliged  to  peas  the  nieht  under 
trees,  beoauae  the  people  of  iHa  country  would  not  per- 
mit us  to  set  foot  in  thei'-  Uouaes,  die  exercise  of  hos^- 
tality  towards  Europeau^i  bei^  pn^bited  by  thmr  rt^U- 
gion.  We,  at  length,  Airived  at  Cattack,  but  some  seve- 
ral days  befiure  the  others.  There  we  learil?d  tfuit  the 
English  had  a  &ctary  in  the  i^ace,  and  repaired  Either 
immediately;  but  we  f<Hiod  only  suuuMupoys  in  the 
Company's  nay,  and  not  a  single  Eiiropeui.  The  se- 
poys receiTed  us  with  gre^  kindness,  and,  moved  by  out 
situatkoo,  they  first  went  to  the  bazar,  or  market,  to  pio- 
cure  us  some  bread.  This  we  gseedily  devoureo,  Wak- 
ing water,  which  they  gave  us,  ttbd  thus  mad-^  raeli- 
cious  repast  We  oongmtulated  one  another  od  finding 
'  ourselves  under  a  roof,  and  sheltered  from  the  inclemoa- 
cy  of  the  air;  we  then  lay  down  and  sleiit.  We  ek- 
pected  the  next  day  that  the  Hahratta  diief  would  send 
some  orders  relative  to  us,  but  he  was  thai  on  a  tour 
in  the  country.  His  minister  took  no  notice  of  us,  vod 
allowed  us  nothing  to  8«d>sifit  upon.  The  sejioys,  ^er»> 
ibre,  continued  to  maintain  us  m  the  best  manner  Jiey 
were  able. 


#v 


<J|i; 


Dunag  our  jounwy  firom  the  island  in  whkh  We  litid 
Imcu  confined  to  Cattaok,  the  two  iaaciiis  who  had  ef- 
fected out  leleaae,  and  had  eoncealed  from  the  Mahratta 
chief  the  sstjomuanim  with  whiefaj^ey  were  intmeled  by 
vmt  proceeded  on Unir  muna^amrta^ed  ai  Balrrasole. 
whne  they  aietpmmlitd.  the'lmglish  with  out  Bitna^ioh. 
They  then  went  le  Gakutta,  aid  called  ^pon  Mr.  Ytin 
Sittart,  the  English  governor  of  BengaL  The  govemer 
lost  mof  time  in^aaiding  im  rehef :  but,  on  accodnt  of  the 
diatanoe^  we  did  not  meelle  it  tflKtwenty  or  twenty-five 
days  aftev  our  airind  at  Oattack.  He  uie^  Ml  his  infiu- 
e&ee  wil^  ^h<e  Mahor^^tas  to  obtain  our  hbevty,  hat  as 
they  were  not,  at  that  time,  on  very  gbod  tMme  with  the 
Gompamrthey  refused  to  grant  this  favor  to  H^hante. 
It  was,  mersfiNe,  necessary  tiiat  colonel  Goote,  the  oeh- 
qnenorof  India,  should  demand  our  release,  which  Me 
obtained  without  diiBcuky. 

Our  company  was  soon  anxious  to  repair  to  BarriMOle, 
at  the  distenee  of  aix4a^' jonmey.  As  for  nie  and  my 
£uthful  servant  we  did  M  wait  foi*  the  g«eii«ra(  oider  lo 
depart,  but  set  off  befolWie  rest.  I  had  tisi^ld  at  Cat- 
tfdb  an  European,  a  native  of  Russia,  who  had  been  a 
gunner  in  M.  De  Bussy's  army,  and  was  now  an  artillery 
o&uiex  in  the  service  of  the  Mahrattas.  As  %  under- 
stood and  Sould  speak  the  French  language,  I  eiideavor- 
ed,  without  infonning  him  who  I  was,  to  Team  his  senti- 
ments relatvil  to  M.  De  Buesy.  He  assured  me  that  it 
was  he  whe  had  given  ^e  Asiatics  the  highest  idea  of 
the  Europeans,  that  he  riiould  regret  him  all  his  life,  Md 
diould  never  cease  to  ad<nre  him;  these  were  his  ex- 
preapioBS.  On  this  I  told  him  I  was  a  Fren^man,  and 
priaoner  of  war  to  the  English ;  that  t  had  wi^  me  a 
servant,  to  whom  I  was  strongly  attached,  and  that  I  was 
desirous  of  leaving  Oattack  as  speedily  as  possible.  He 
lepUed  that  he  wouhl  procure  me  permiraion  to  leave 
the  place,  provided  die  others  should  know  nothing  of 
the  matter  till  the  moment  of  our  departure.  I  kept  the 
secret^  and  he  actually  obtained  a  kiild  of  permission  for 
me  and  my  servant  I  imme(!bi^  ely  hirea  two  dooleyn, 
ft  kind  of  handbarrow  carried  by  mem'    To  pliy  for 


itMtf  '^  ««i  HitHMM. 


e 

e 


IT 


buckle  and  sleere  buttons,  the  oh\t  ^i^es  I  IsM  left.    I 
then  todk  leave  of  raf  compam<ms,  fraititV.iij!)^ 
them  how  and  by  whatpeaihs  I  had  oBti^ea  jpeinm^on 
to  depaert,  that  tneyipj|i|||un>loy  the  toine^thoa.'  ' ,)' 

Our  jburtiey  to  Barrtisole  had  nearly  jproi^W  fatal  to 
us ;  being  twice  attack^  by'tig^ri,  knd  had  the  paiii  to 
see  a  Moor,  that  had  been  ver^  senHc^eable  to  us  seVei'al 
times  in  our  distress,  carried  ^,^ At  th^  distance  of  a  f^bw* 
paces  from  us,  by  one  of  thd^ectiiel  animals.  The  slimb 
tiger,  after  despatching  th^  unfortunate  man,  ca^e  a^iii 
out  of  the  wood,  and  gazed  on  tis  with  a  mo^t  terriblo 
look,  but  keeping  close  together,  ottf  firmness,  and  the 
nok»  wnpiod^,  m)Iiged  hiih  to  rctitel  "^  ' '        '    . 

On  my  ttrrival  at  mrlrasole,  I  met  withlfeili^e  tMiglisR^^ 
men  going  to  embark  for  Bengal.  1%ey  pro{>osed  to  nie 
to  accompany  them.  I  had  scarcely  time  to  drink  a 
glass,  and  went  on  board.  Aj:-aj:  ^        si  '  j 

We  were  six  or  seven  days  fn  readiinf  I^^CIftc^lfffc^W^ 
being  so  very  difficult  td  ascc^  the  Ganges,  a^^l  WHi' 
again  near  perishing  in  this  Whn  pttssa^,  where  ybn 
meet  with  rocks  upon  rocks,  ahd  dan^ei^  U|k)n  dangers. 
When  we  had  arrived  at  Goupil,  I  saw  sfeY6ral  of  tKe 
East  India  Company's  sliips,  and  lagged  thf  Endish  to 
let  me  goon  bcHird  orieof  th^m.  TJSey  perc«iV(Bd^hat 
both  myself  and  my  servant  were  sick,  e^auisteiS^  and 
in  want  of  every  thing;  tfierefote,  at  the^pehse  OTttrb 
rupees,  all  the  money  I  had  left,  I  procured  A  boaSt  to 
carry  me  on  board  the  Plassy,  commanded  by  ca)[)tkin 
Ward.  When  I  had  got  on  be^rd  this  ship,  I  imanned 
my  hardships  at  ein  end,  and  every  thing  was  annbist' 
forgotten.  The  first  person  I  spolTe  to  was  Mr.  White, 
a  captain  of  the  Company's  troojps,  He  took  my  ser- 
vant and  me  fni  two  soMiers  who  hsid  been  robbed;  bur 
figure  and  dress,  equally  Worthy  of  pity,  ieirtnounced'^e 
most  miserable  cmidition.  Thi^  generous  Englishminn, 
addressing  himself  to  me,  said,  in  his  own  language,— 
"  Poor  soldier !  you  are  badly  equipped.  Who  ar^'you, 
and  whence  do  you  come 7"    I  replied  in  Engfiiffh,  "Tiki 

•ff6  rights  I  am  &  ^bldier,  and  my  s^^atlt  thetts  is  o^' 

5# 


likewiae ;  ire  think  ourselves  very  fbrtumita  in  being  siiH 
In  existence.^'  I  ftdded,  that  I  was  one  out  of  twelye 
who  h^  escaped  norn  the  ship  Fattysalem,  which  had 
been  lost,  together  with  the  crew,  on  the  coast  of  Conn 
mandel;  that  I  was  indebt^Jir  my  tiie,  in  the  first 
placOj  to  my  soldier's  couran,  and  in  the  next  to  the 
exertions  ot  my  servant,  whom  he  saw  overwhelmed 
with  disease,  and  luiable  to  stand;  and  concluded  with 
telling  him  my  name  and  fank.  Mr.  White  immediately 
went  to  his  cabin,  and  brought  me  a  change  of  clothes 
firom  head  to  foot,  of  which  I  certainly  stood  in  great 
need,  for  I  had  for  ten  weeks  worn  the  same  shirt,  all  in 
tattors;  my  servant  only  dipped  it  from  time  to  time  in 
water,  to  ease  me  a  litue.  The  poor  fellow,  Hho  was 
quite  naked,  was  likewise  supphed  with  clothes.  Mr. 
White  then  presented  me  with  some  chocolate  and  some- 
thing  to  eat;  but  I  -^is  so  weak  that  the  smell  only  of 
the  chocolate  had'nearly  made  me  foint,  and  I  could  nol 
eat  any  thing.  I  drank  some  tea,  and  that  was  all  t 
could  set  down.  I  received  a  thousand  other  civilities 
£N>m  this  worthy  man,  atfl  the  captain  showed  me  equal 
kindness.  When  I  had  changed  my  things  and  taken 
my  tea,  those  gentlemen  proposed  to  me  to  go  up  the 
Ganges  to  Calcutta  with  them,  in  a  vessel  that  was  just 
going  to  sef  off.  I  consented,  but  not  without  great  re^ 
gret,  at  being  obli^;ed  to  leave  behind  me  in  the  vessei 
my  faithful  cdttipMiion,  who  was  attacked  with  a  violent 
fever.  However,  as  there  was  no  other  altenmtive;  and 
as  tliuB  kindness  of  those  gentlemen,  both  to  him  and  ta 
me,  rendered  me  easy  with  regard  to  his  fate,  I  left  him, 
but  not  without  great  reluctance.  He  died  soon  after* 
wards  in  the  English  liospital  at  Calcutta.  ft«^frvoi 

We  arrived  at  that  place  the  next  day.  I  went  to  the 
governor,  Mr.  Tan  SlUtart,  who  leceivea  me  with  great 
humanity,  and  assi§^Md  me,  mb  a  ptiaonex  oi  war,  one 
hundred  and  twenty  rupees  per  month  for  my  subsist* 
ence.  I  was  in  great  want,  and  iie  did  not  make  me  any 
advance.  I  lutd  recourse  to  my  b«iefactor,  Mr.  White, 
who  lent  me  three  hundred  rupees,  wluch  I  expoided  in 
the  purchase  of  linea  and  clothes.    I  was  two  inonthK 


I      ' 


i 


p.-ly^  Ti^ 


LOM  OP  THB  PATTTSALBM. 


,i 


without  drawing  the  allowance  assigned  me  by  the  go- 
vernor. I  was  about  to  receive  it  when  I  suddenly  re- 
ceived an  order  to  embark  in  the  Hawk,  which  was  stiU 
on  the  coast  1  was  sick,  and  had  uo  linen  made  up, 
nor  any  thing  necessary  to  set  out  oa  so  long  a  voyage. 
[  was,  however,  pressed  to  set  off.  Colonel  Coote  had 
the  kimd^oss  to  defev  jptiy  depiiTtiipre,  and  tl|^  Hawk  sailed 
without  me.  I  therefore  hiad  time  to  equip  myself.  I 
flattered  myself  that  Mr.  Van  Sittart,  to  whom,  ii^  the 
quality  of  an  officer  of  the  kill's  etat-major  and  captain 
of  his  forces,  I  offered  the  necessary  securitiept,  or  bills 
of  exchange  on  the  French  East  India  Ooinpany,  would 
advance  me  a  sum  to  pay  the  debts  which  my  situation 
bad  obli^d  me  to  c<mtract :  but  in  this  hope  I  found  my- 
self uiy'^-'^cn.  I  mentioned  this  subject  shortly  before 
my  depii  -  to  colonel  Coote,  who  sent  me  three  hun- 
dred ruv  The  governor  bearing  of  it,  Ukewise  trans- 
netted  me  four  hundred.  This  was  all  I  received  from 
him,  and  I  could  not  help  receiving  this  scanty  lelie^ 
that  I  might  leave  no  debts  behind  me.  ^^^^ 
On  the  2d  of  February,  I  le£|,Calcutta  aud  returaea  to 
Goupil,  on  the  Ganges  where  I  embarked  in  the  Hol- 
demesse,  commanded  by  captain  BroolpB.  I  was  re- 
ceived with  great  kindness  by  the  captain,  who  had  on 
board  thirteen  or  fourteen  other  French  opcers,  prison- 
ers like  myself.  The  ship  arrived  without  accident,  and 
after  a  month's  residence  at  London  I  wf^  permitted  to 
return  to  France. 


4#iJ 


■■*^-r-^' 


mtmk  i'^^^iii-^  'im%fi 


■'  '"''S 


•■*f^ 


•d,.. 


% 


m- 


^.-■'.  ■■■■  T  u^-'--:     ■ 


"'»1 


.['/T 


•;•/■ 


J      .  ■  M 


liOSS  (^'^HE  AMERICAN  SHIP  HERCULESS; 


Jii' 


Oi  the  Coast  of  Cafrariay  the  16tk  of  Jvne^  1796. 


Thb  account  of  the  fate  of  the  American  ship  Her- 
cules, ^and  of  the  adveptures  and  sufferings  of  her  crew,) 
which  Mt  out  on  her  voyage  from  Bengal  in  the  montii: 
oi  December,  1795,  inrolves  so  much  interest,  as  cannot 
fail  to  prove  extremely  entertaining ;  nor  can  it  be  better 
detailed  than  from  the  account  given  by  the  commander^ 
captain  Beirjamin  Stb^t ;  whose  intention  it  was,  to  take 
in  a.private  freight  fbr  Hamburgh,  but  not  finding  on<C 
Uiat  would  answer  his  expectations,  he  chartered  hilr 
ship  to  the  British  East  India  Comiraiay,  who  were  at 
that  tiitiebusfFy  employed  in  shipping  nee  for  Englamd. 
Intelligence  havi:  iff  reached  vne  settlements  in  India  that 
a  failure  of  corn  throughout  the  whole  ti  Great  firitaiik' 
was  likely  to  produce  a  famine,  the  most  active  and! 
laudable  exertions  weie  made  in  India  to  supply  the 
mairkets  at  home  with  rice;  and  he  received  on  board 
unwftrdB  of  nine  ^ansand  bags,  with  directions  to  pro^; 
ceed  to  London  with  every  possible  despatch.  The  crew,* 
most  of  which  having  been  engaged  in  India,  consisted 
Americans,  Danes,  Swedes,  Dnich,  Portuguese,  but 
chiefly  lascars,  amounting  in  the  whole,  men  ar  boys, 
to  about  sixty^four.  Theneeelsary  arrsngements  lor  the 
voyage  being  e(NaPipleted,ithey  sidled  frr  in  Sugar-Roads 
on  the  17th  4»f  MareUt  l|^6. 

INothing  mut^rial  occ^lHSd  diiringtlie  voyage  until  the 
J  St  of  Jime  fdlkiiph^f^iiFhl^^  they  reached  the 

latitude  of  about  Sir'^liui^  «MQd  W,  0t  east  longitude. 
It  then  began  to  blow  4.ga]«i  &»n  th<i  westward,  which 
obliged  them  to  lay  to  under  their  raizzen  stay-sail  for  six 
days.     During  this  time  the  gale  continued  to  blow  from 


^1 


^ 


.#■ 


'W 


LOSS  OP  Tm  MKBOUCMN  SUP  HUOULIS. 


m 


ttn  west,  but  increased  progresl4yoly  uniil  iAne  7thf  whm- 
the  cententioiis  o€  the  sea  and  winds  presented  a  soiqd4 
of  horror,  of  which,  perhaps,  the  annals  of  marine  'jistory: 
give  us  no  ezami^te.    "  Although  bred  to  the  sea  (says 
captain  8lout^  from  my  eariiest  life,  yet  ail  I  had  ever 
seen  before,  all  I  had  ever  heard  of  or  read,  gave  me  no> 
adequate  idea  of  those  suMime  effects  whi^  the  violence ' 
and  raging  of  the  elements  produce,  and  whkh,  at  thi* 
trentf»dou8  hour,  seemed  to  threaten  natare  itself  with 
dzMolution."    The  ship,  raised  on  mountains  oi,  wateric ' 
was  in  a  moment  precipitated  into  in  abyss,  wbere  she  I 
appeared  to  wait  until  the  omning^sea  raised  her  agaii^ 
into  the  ck  uds.    The  perpetual  roaring  of'  lh0  elementt  ^ 
eofaouii^  through  the  void,  produeed  stKh  an  awful  sen^ ; 
sation  m  the  minds  of  die  most  ezperieneed  oi  the  aean ' 
men,  that  several  of  thmn  appeared  for  somo  time  m  9k-' 
state  of  stupelaction:  tmd  th(B«e  less  accusMmied  to  thei 
dangers  of  Uie  sea  added  to  this  scene  oi  miwry  by  theii^ 
shriekings  and  exclamations. 

f^^Thd  terrcMTS  of  the  day  could  dmy  be '  surpassed  by 
thoee  oi  the  night  When  the  darkness  caBM  on,  it  ia 
imjfMNnible  for  man  to  describe,  or  human  imagination  t9i 
conceive,  a  scene  of  more  transcendent  and  complicaled 
horror.  To  fill  wp  the  measure  of  their  ci^lamities,  About 
the  hour  oi  midnight  a  sudden  shift  of  wind  threw  the 
ship  into  the  trou^  of  the  sea,  which  struck  hwaft,  tore~ 
away  die  rudder,  started  the  stem  post  from  the  haudon 
«Dds,  and  shattcifod  the  whole  of  l^r  etem  ^me.  ThCr 
pumps  were  immediately  sounded,  and  in  the  course  c^>^ 
a  few  minutes  th^  water  had  iiMsreased  to  four  feet.  A 
gang  was  immediate  ordered  to  ^e  pumps,  and  tlie  re-« 
maittder  were  employm  in  getting  up  rice  out  of  die  run 
of  the  ship,  and  heaving  it overboard,  in  order,  if  posn- 
blc,  to  get  at  the  leak.  After  three  or  four  hmidred  bags 
were  thrown  into  the  sea,  the  principid  leak  was  disco- 
vered, and  the  water  poured  in  with  astonishing  rapidity^ 
In  oitdet,  therefore,  to  decrease  ao  much  as  possible  ther 
influx  of  wator,  sheets,  riiiftoi,  Jackets,  bales  <tf  mustin^ 
and  every  tjlung  of  the  like  descrIpU(«  were  thrust  inte 
the  aperture.    Had  iH>t  these  ^^^^rticms  been  attcndedl 


^'^'-'isy 


■S." 


V 


m 


mAxmxmi'WKJaaM  mmmnwan,vi  mri.\ 


wHh  wme  sncoen,  the  ship  must  certainly  hare  goB# 
down,  although  the  pumpa  delivered  fifty  tona  of  wataf 

rtft'houir."'*-"'-'- '•■■  '" -i,  'h-^fi    r^'^Hrr'h:   T"T;nrrtv» 

As  the  neit  day^advanoed^  the  weatfter  began  to  mod»i 
rate.  The  men'workcdmceeMntly  at  the  jmmpa,  aoid 
every  exertion  was  madd  to  keep  the  ship  a^oat  They 
were  at  this  time  about  two  hUndi'ed  miles  from  Uie  east- 
eni  coast  of  Africa.  *  u. 

On  the  9th,  athhoagh  the  violence  of  the  tempetihait 
in  a  great  measure  subsided,  yet  the  sweU  of  the  sea  was 
tremendiftns.  The  longboat  was  ordered  out;  but  the 
eaptohi  having  reason  to  suspect  that  some  of  the  ci«»w 
would  Endeavor  to  make  off  with  her,  he  directed  the 
second  knatc  and  three  seamrai  to  take  possession  c^  her ; 
at  the  iame  time  giving  them  arms  and  express  orders  to 
shoot  the  first  manjWho  attempted  to  boara  her  without 
his  pei^ission.  'Iliey  Were  also  instructed  to  keep 
astern,  but  to  stiek  by  the  ship  until  they  came  to  4ai:an^ 

Chor.  •l!;^3V'V  ♦>•*■«  i^>^  J  »fii|itft»-fs* 

The  men  having  taken  their  station  in  the  boat,  a  taft 
was  ordered  to  be  made  of  all  the  large  spars,  which  was 
accordingly  done.  The  whole  when  lashed  togetilier 
measttred  about  thirty-five  feet  in  length,  aiKl  diSii&em  in 
brradth.  At  this  time  the  captain  apprehend(»d  the  chip 
cwild  not  make  the  land,  ana  being  convinced,  in  case 
of  her  going  down,  that  all  the  people  could  not  be  re- 
ceived into  the  longboat,  determined  not  to  neglect  any 
measure  that  presented  even  a  chance  of  saving  tJm 
whole.'  ''mhi:  '■%"*''»  mivnft\ 

When  the  secohd  mate  was  preparing  to  obey  tlMs  or- 
ders he  had  receiveCi,  and  take  conmiand  oi  the'  lon^- 
JxMit,  the  carpenter  addressed  tliC  cai|rtfdn  in  a  respectful 
manner,  and  earnestly  entreated  him  to  leave  tli^  ship. 
On  b^ug  reprimands  for  not  attending  to  the  pumps, 
the  man  burst  into  tears,  and  declared,  that  the  whole 
of  the  stem  frame  was  shook  and  locraened  in  sudi  a 
manner,  that  IW  expected  every  minute  she,  would  go 
dt^wn.  •  The  miserable  appearance  of  this  man,  and  the 
affecting  tone  of  voicq  in  which  he  delivered  his  appBa- 
Irantioiis,  considerably  increased  tbe  tenors  of  tfa»f»ew ; 


LOSS  OP   «  IHmCAN  8K»  UlCULKS. 


# 


f 


I 


whoreupoo  tbe  oaptaih  thougbt  it  mtoeuiry  to  declaft 
that  he  would  peffunu  his  duty  an^  stkik  tn  the  ihip 
until  he  was  convinoed  fvom  hiaown  ^b^olviitibD  that 
ail  h<^  o£  laving  hnr  uds  at  an  end.  Tbr  cat|)etiter 
re|Mated  his  solioitatiDha,  whaii  hie  was  dtdek^dd  to  I  ia 
post,  and  assutad^  at  the  «^Mne  time,  that  unlite  h«  made 
eveiT  exertion  to  wkcQivamgb  the  people  in  their  duty  at 
the  pumtMB,  he  should  b^  immediately  diiowti  mto  th<i 
se^.  Ha  letifed,  and  exerted  himself  afterWatds-wi^  m 
maaly  perseverance. 

The  oaptain  was  immediately  addttasied'  Xxb^  iha  d^ 
partiiro  oTthe  carpentet  by  many  of  the  sallbi^  and  on 
the  same  sutgect.  Th^  were  so  clami0vbu%  and  dieted 
80  mueh  in  their  opinions,  that  hb  was  netilsly  j^ixig  to 
extremes  wiih  some  of  them. 

f  These  ciceumstanoes  are  mentioned  aa  a  caution  to 
future  navigators,  who  axe  intrusted  with  a  ctitomandi 
They  too  frequently  listen  to  the  opinion  of  tlidr  people' 
in  time  of  danger,  who  ate  generally  for  quitting  'die  ship, 
and  taking  to  boats^  masts,  yards  and  spars  fdnMA  mta^ 
lafte,  or  whatever  timbeis  they  cain  lash  togetht^;  ^ 
dead,  as  the  ptejudiees  and  sentiments  of  tm  conmioft* 
sailors  OB  th^se  oecasioas  are  so  various,  it  ia  not  td  1M 
suf^posed  that  an^  thki^  can  arise  from  suth  a  n^taketi' 
conduct  but  oonfufion  and  misfortune/ 
>>  A  crew,  such  aa  composed  that  of  th^  flevct^es,  wych 
consisted  of  people  of  various  nations^  require  ind^^ 
from  thehr  commandeif  a  peetiliar  ^ttli6nilMi.  It  may 
happen,  that  by  humoring  tti^r  religious  firejudleds  at  ^^ 
particular  moment,  an  essential  service  may  ba  obtftin^  ^ 
and  the  following  remarkaiUe  anebddts  wm  wad  to  elu- 
cidate ^is  opinion. 

:  At  a  period  when  the  teittb^t  rl^ed  With  lh«i  iKitiibSt' 
^'iolencc,  the  captain  dir^ctM  most  of  ibfe  ikif<»  ;b«low, 
particularly  Hie  Utseara,  to  wotk  the  p^pi:    One  of 
them,  how^ar,  was  peroeiv^  cnmhig  up  life  g&ngwiayl^ 
witli  a  haiidl(€irdhilflf  m  his  hand  ^  and  en  bfetiii^  qu6Sti^^ti^ 
ed  what  ha  was  ab<rat,  h^  answered  isi  a  lDii6  ai  Vt^c* 
that  discovered  a  perfect  costidMo^  iri  th6  M«iiliW  lUi 
propcMfl^  lh«i  ha  waagohif  tb  make  an  oil^frinf  to  his 


.>/•(.  J  *J 


^JHf»,» 


§•&  "  Thb  hacdkerchicifi"  laid  he,  "  eontsint  a  o«rtafai 
quantity  of  tk»i  and  .'.  the  rapMS  I  am  worth;  tulfer 
me  to  lash  it  to  the  mizien-iop,  and  rely  upon  it,  ur,  we 
•hall  all  he  taved."  The  oaptain  was  going  to  oeder 
him  hack  to  the  fHunpa,  hut  lecolleoting  that  in  so  doing 
he  might  throw  hoth  him  and  his  conntrymen  into  a 
state  of  despondency,  and  thereby  lose  the  benefits  of 
their  exertions,  he  acquiesced.  The  lascar  thanked  him, 
and  he  soon  bdield  the  child  of  prejudice  mount  the  tot- 
tering ladder  without  discovering  a  sing!?  apprehensioii. 
He  lashed  the  handkerchief  to  m  mizxen  top-mast  head, 
fearless  of  all  danger,  and.  arrived  in  safety  on  the  deciS. 
Confiidenft  now  that  his  god  was  the  captain's  friend,  he 
went  below  to  infcnrm  his  brethnm  that  he  had  done  i\is 
duty ;  all  the  lascars  seemed  transported  with  joy,  em- 
braced Uieir  virtuoufli  compuiioo,  and  then  labored  at  the 
rumps  with  as  much  alacrity  and  perseverance  as  if  they 
had  encountered,  before,  neither  apprdiensicm  nor  fa- 
tigue. To  their  unceasing  labors  was  owing,  in  a  great 
0fteasufe,  the  preservation  of  hit;  people.  t: 

.  The  shift  of  wind  which  thirew  the  ship  into  the 
trough  of  the  sea  and  tor  3  away  the  rudder,  was  fortu- 
nately a  squall  of  but  i^ort  duraticm,  not  contiinuing 
above  a  quarts  of  an  hour.  Had  it  lasted  but  a  little 
longer,  the  ship  must  jfiave  been  torn  to  pieces.  The 
wind  came  round  to  its  former  quarter,  and  moderated 
gradually. 

After  the  longboat  had  been  delivered  to  the  care  of 
the  second  mate,  and  the  raft  completed,  the  captain  hekl 
a  consultation  with  the  officers,  and  they  were  all  decid- 
edly of  opinion  that  it  was  l^^possible  10  save  the  ship, 
and  that  they  had  no  other  chance  to  preserve  their  lives 
thsiLlfi  make  th3  land  and  run  her  on  diore. 

The  people,  wb^  infoynied  of  the  issue  of  this  consul- 
tatioa,  appeared  to  work  with  renovated  spirits.  This 
disposition  was  kept  up  by  being  assured  they  would 
soon  be  w^itbin  sight  of  land,  and  that  by  eonstantly 
working  at  the  pumps,  the  ship  would  hs  kept  afloat 
until  they  reached  the  uiote.  i^jti 

She  remained  fi^r  some  time  unmanagMible,  frequet^v 


:m 


T 

r 

ii 
n 
ei 

SI 

n 
oi 
a 
tl 

n 
d< 

P« 
hi 

in 

ai 

th 

w 

to 
th 
m 

til 


.■^.5^.^-':".''-.  .■.iLij.'.:/-ii)„,.-.^;X-i_ 


LOSS  o^^Nif  iifiiicAii  mm  imfcuLBs. 


•tanding  with  her  head  from  the  hind,  which  dA  tli«l# 
efforts  ooiild  not  prevent.  The  captain  got  a  niddor 
nmde  out  of  the  tof-mast,  and  ftxed  in  the  place  of  the 
one  they  had  lost;  but  it  was  ionnd  of  Utile  me  WitiiOttt 
the  help  of  the  longboat,  which  he  ordered  therefore  to 
be  hauled  athv'art  her  stem,  and  this  served,  althongh 
with  the  gresicst  difficulty,  to  get  her  head  towards  the 
shore,  tfie  t/ind  being  variable  from  the  eastward.  A 
cable  could  have  been  got  out,  that  might  have  at  jwer- 
ed  tolerably  well  to  steer  the  ship ;  but  the  people  coold 
not  be  spared  from  the  pumps  to  attend  ronssing  in  on 
the  tackle!!,  or  guise,  as  occasion  might  require. 

On  the  evening,  however,  of  the  15th,  they  disc^vered^ 
land  at  about  six  leagues'  distance.  All  on  txmrd  at  this 
mcmient  expressed  their  joy  in  shouts  and  acclamations.' 
The  ship  stiU  kept  nearing  the  shore,  with  five  fev :  watei' 
in  her  hold. 

On  the  16th,  in  the  morning,  being  then  about  two 
miles  from  the  land,  and  the  wind  from  the  westWal^,' 
the  captain  ordered  the  anchor  to  be  let  go,  that  a  last 
effort  might  be  made  to  stop  the  leaks,  and,  if  possible, 
save  the  ship.  But  her  steA  was  shattered  in  such  a 
manner^  that  after  hdding  another  consultation  with  his 
officers,  it  was  finally  resolved  to  run  the  i^tp  on  thU 
coast  then  opposite  to  them.  Another  gale  threatenelt 
them,  iind  no  time  was  to  hit  ]oBi.  ' 

The  captain  immediately  ordered  his  second  mate,i 
who  was  in  the  boat,  to  come  on  board,  and  he  then 
deKveiM  into  his  custody  the  ship's  register,  and  all  life 
papers  of  consequence  he  had.  After  providing  him  and 
bis  three  men  with  water  and  provisions,  he  oraered  him 
into  the  boat  again,  with  directions  to  keep  in  the  offing; 
and  ti^aif  afkeir  they  had  run  the  ship  on  shore,  fm^Sed 
they  got  safe  to  land,  he  would  search  for  some  inlet  into 
which  he  might  run  with  safety.  They  desired  him  also 
10  look  out  for  ngnals  which  would  be  occasionally 
thrown  oui  from  the  shore  to  direct  his  course. '  Th^ 
mate  feithfully  promised  to  ob(«y  his  instructions,  aiidt 
ttien  returned  to  his  boat.  ^     -'^ 

-Thay  Were  now  on  th«  eoaat  of  Oafilraha,  witHiii  a 


->^- 


#,'  1 


1  "♦no  J 


km  le«guM  whem  Ihe  Infanta  nvu  empties  MLt  inU^ 
tlM  sea.  A  droadful  ctwm  appMaohed,  and  they  aoiMfk 
to  meet  it  with  beeoming  feititude.  The  eaptatn  theren 
tore  gave  directions  t(^. set  the  head  sail,  to  heave  tha 
spring  well  taught,  in  ordm  to  set  her  head  towards  the 
shore,  sad  then  to  cat  the  cable  and  the  spiing.  His 
orders  were  obeyed  with  tha  greatest  promptitude. 

After  running  until  within  something  less  than  half  a 
mile  of  the  shore,  she  stiudcon  aolusier  of  roeks.  The 
swell  at  this  moment  was  tremendous;  and  from  the 
ship's  thiim|»ng  so  riolently^  it  was  seareely  possible  for 
the  men  to  hold  on.  In  this  situation  she  remained  for 
about  three  or  four  minutes,  when  a  sea  took  her  oyer 
the  rocks,  and  carried  her  about  a  cable's  length  nearer 
the  shore,  where  she  again  struck)  and  kept  heaving  in 
with  a  dreadful  surf)  which  every  moment  made  a 
breach  over  her.  ^   ^ 

r>  The  lashings  that  held  the  radt  having  given  niray,  and 
the  spars  carried  to  a  oonsideiable  distance  from  tha 
ship,  thev  lost  all  hope  from  that  quarter.  At  length 
one  of  the  erew,  who  was  a  blaoki  plunged  into  tae 
waves,  and  by  exertk>ns  which  seemed  more  than  hu- 
man>  gained  and  seated  himself  en  the  raft  He  seaicely 
lemuned  in  that  situation  for  ten  minutesj  when  the 
whole  was  turned  o^er  and  the  man  completely  envc^* 
loped  in  the  sea.  In  a  few  moments,^  however)  tbvft 
peinBeived  him  in  his  Ibnner  seat  Again  he  endured  a 
similar  misfortune;  and  a  third  succeeded.  Still  h* 
bwieted  .the  waves,  and  gained  the  raft,  until  at  length^) 
aftw  suffering  two  hours  of  fatigue,  which,  until  then^ 
the  captaia  could  not  possibly  imagine  human  nature 
coiil^i survive,  he  drifted  on  land.     /  /.*<(  je^t  > ';    xn 

fPli  natives,  who  l»d  kinnUed  several  i&ies)  Ippeated 
la  great  num^rs  im  the  dhore*  They  were  mostly 
clothed  in  skins,  arnied  with  spears,  and  fccompanied 
by  a  vast  number  of  dogs.  A  party  of  them-  seis^  the 
nian  who  had  landed)  and  eonduated  him  behind  tha; 
asnd-hiUs  thai  hne  the  eoast,  an4whif^  hi^  hhaft  «iitii«l|ri 
from  their  view.  :  a 

i,  Tw^¥e  of  th#«rev  now  launched  themselves  «a  ti^ 


1^ 


«? 


t»J 


LOMiOrTMl 


WMOULU. 


ftVMt  iMii^  and  wkntimt  pieMf  of  timber  Ibey  eovM 
find  Th«)rbr4T«dftU4U&oolliMMidatU»tgiaii«dai« 
iand  Ni^  mamt  had  thoy  iMflhad  th«  bwth  thfn  th« 
natiT«f  MBMdi^wii,  seind  and  oooduoted  tbaoi  alao  U- 
hind  tiia  iand'hiUa.  As  it  waa  immasiUa  u»  Ibpaa  who 
remained  on  board  to  discover  what  they  were  about, 
and  obaerving  aeveral  partiea  of  tbe  natives  appear  at 
different  timee  on  the  aboie,  but  not  accompanied  by  any 
of  the  people,  they  ooneeived  all  thoae  who  had  landed 
were  maaeaored,  and  that  a  similar  fate  awaited  the 
whole  of  them.  They  Who  had  remained  on  Itmak  the 
ship  were  obliged  t^  shelter  themselvea  in  the  foifoaptle, 
as  the  wreck  becoming  a  fixed  object,  the  sea  made  ev«i 
her,  and  there  was  no  other  part  where  they  oould  Mm«im 
even  for  a  moment,  in  n^  state  of  secnrity.  «.!   u 

t, Suspense  and  appraheoakm  raigned  miring  thewholt 
of  tlie  night  Somo  weia  of  opinion,  that  to  avoid  beiiigf 
tortured  by  tlie  savagea^  and  parh^  thrown  into  the 
fires  they  had  peroeived  on  shofe»'it  would  be  mom  ad^ 
visable  to  resign  themselvef  to  a  watory  element,  «i  im 
that  aitnatiou  they /Should  only  endure  a  lew  «tnig|kmj 
and  thjsn  life  would  be  no  more.  Others  entartaiM4 
difliareniientiments,  and  were  for  making  the  ah«re  in* 
OS  compact  a  body  as  possiblei  "  We  shr  ii  then,"  saidi 
they,  "  attack  the  savages  with  stones,  or  whatever,  WQ* 
can  find."  This  was  overruled  as  a  measiuw  impraetitat 
cable ;  there  was  no  possibility  of  six  men  keeping  tnga  j 
thcr;  but  if  such  a  number  could,  by  a  miracle,  gat  OAe 
shore  without  being  divided,  tho  natives  eould  destnay 
them  in  n  moment  wi  th  their  spears.  The  vhola  of  thMr 
miserable  jiight  was  spent  in  such  consuUatiQBa;!  and  as* 
the  nexi:suc  was  to  nght  them  to  their  fatoy  ib»ftnmfi 
bled  at  its  apptdoehing  the  horisen. 
'*  As  soon  as  'mssuin^  appeared,  they  kxiked  towards; 
the  shore;  but  not  an^indtvidual  was  to  be  seen.  Di**; 
traction  was  now  visiMte  in  every  countenance)  and  who4: 
death  to  choose  the  prino^l  consideration^  At  Jtnflflbfi 
about  the  hour  of  ninie,  4h»  scime  eluinged  in  a  momenlii 
A  delirium  of  ecstasy  succeeded,  which  no. pencil >eafr, 
jNwtray,  no  being  can  eoncoivo/  biM  thosi/wlid  beheld  it. 


m 


"U 


An  th«  pAottle  wtio  hat  ^lamiUhr  iay  Mbi«  wef# 
obwnred  makiiMr  tMranWilMiUlbri;  and  thartdon  mn 
ceived  them  IWelNmiiig  Mid  invitiny  fktm  l»  iMid.  In  i 
f«w  rniBtHM,  etec^  mr,  gNitliid,  and  fkmml  thnhar 
that  coald  be  pfeciired,  weie  afloit,  and'  ^bmpMely  «e- 
etipied ;  tome  with  two  people,  othefB  with  more,  aeoord- 
in^  to  the  siae.  "  I  immedlaieljr  (aay*  the  eaptain) 
stripped  oiT  my  ehivt)  pat  on  a  aliort  'jaekei,  wrapped  a 
•hawl  rottnd  nr  waiat,  in  the  oomer  of  whieh  I  pot  a 
pM  waieh,  ana  keeping  my  bfMchea  o»,'niied'  a  spar 
and  tannehed  into  the  sea.  For  nearly  thveoi}iiarter8  of 
an  hour  I  preeerred  my  hold,  and  drifted  towaidt  the 
•here.  Sometimee  I  waa  caat  ao  near  aa  to  touch  the 
leelM  with  my  feet,  then  hurried  ^wair  to«  eonaiderabto 
distance;  again  I  was  precipliMlBd  iorwatdy  and  in  a 
ilMMtataiWrwaHaearrMoffbyllMiratdnihwaaa.  At 
linptft  a  swddbli  jbrlc,  ooeasioned  by  the  swell,  strained 
both  my  ann^  and!  was  eompeUed  to  iiult  the  spar. 
At' this  instant,  atthdUgh  a  eimsiderable  diataHea  from 
the  baaoh,  a  wate  that  was  proeaading  rapidly  towards 
tha>ilMiva  bote  me  along,  and  in  a  ww  mnnenis  oast  m^' 
sanaclsss  on  the  sand.  My  people  who  wcim  oi'ihore 
obsanred  my  situation ;  they  nki  down,  and  iMiitehing 
me  from  the  danger  of  the  coming  waf«s,  beta  me  to 
a  place  of  sacnritv.  I  was  inaanslMe  at  this  time,  bnt 
aooir  roTived,  as  they  placed  me  near  a  fire,  aiid  used 
evar^  means  in  their  power  for  my  recovery.  Ilie  first 
attbjeet  of  inquiry,  when  my  faculties  retmned,  n^,  of 
camiM,  the  fate  m  my  mforlnnate  ciew;  and  I  enjoyed 
the  liaan4Mt  pleiisure  of  behoMing  them  all  aiaund  me. 
eicept  thMk  m  the  longboat,'and  one  num,ir)io  perished 
niar'thie  ahofe.  I  then  addmtoed  mysdl  to«dti»!J|atives ; 
but  on  this  occasion  I  laboiad  midar  tha  dittcalty  of  no| 
bi^btf^  tthdaritood.  I  knew  nmhing  af  <their  Imiguage,'^ 
and  ?or  aooM  time  I  andea^rorad  to  etplahi  myself  by 
sigiiir  Portimaialy ^era  waaa  Sottaniar  Masant,  wlio 
hii  litisd  with  the  Dutch  laMMHa,  Mid  aouM  speak  theif ' 
Idi^aga.  My  third  mata  Wii^^4a  ihttchman,  and  thesa^ 
asnred  as  intarpretars.  ^ 

^^Thia  difteulty  bahig  happily  removad,  I  endetTored; 


M^ 


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LOSS  or  nkhttiiclaMwM'mi^Lw. 


m 


bf  isireiy  means  in  nky  pdWifi  iSb  secmie  the  frieniishiti  di 
the  natives.  I  thanked  them  in  the  name  of  my  whole 
crew,  and  on  the  part  of  my  nation,  for  the  libeniY  and 
humiitie  assistance  they  had  afforded  ns  hi' th^  hoAr  df 
our  rafeforti:^e,  and  solicited  their  future  kindn«te  aiid 
support. 

**  This  being,  as  I  conceived,  at  no  great  distance  from 
the  spot  where  the  Grosvenor  was  lost  in  1782, 1  inquired 
of  the  natives  whether  any  of  them  remembered  such  a 
catastrophe.  Most  of  them  answered  in  the  affimMttive, 
and,  ascending  one  of  the  sand-hills,  pointed  to  the  place 
where  the  Grosvenor  suffered.     ■■"'  "^^    *  '''-  ®<^ 

"I  then  desired  to  know  of  them  wfcrether  they  liad 
received  any  certain  accounts  respecting  the  fate  en  cap- 
tain Corson,  who  comm^ded  the  Grosvenor,  and  who 
was  proceeding  on  his  way  to  the  Gape,  with  several 
men  and  women  pas&^engers,  who  were  saved  frcnn  the 
wreck.  They  answennl,  that  capt^  Goxson  and  his 
men  were  slain.  One  of  the  chiefs  having  insisted  en 
taking  two  of  the  white  ladies  to  his  kraal,  the  caj^tain 
and  people  resisted,  and  hot  being  armed,  were  immedi^ 
ately  destroyed.  The  natives,  at  the  same  time,  gave 
me  to  understand,  tha^at  the  period  when  the  Gro^venoi^ 
was  wrecked,  their  nation  was  at  war  with  the  eddnlsts: 
and  as  the  captain  and  his  crew  were  whites,  the^f  could 
not  tell,  provided  they  had  reached  the  Christfkn  farms, 
but  they  would  assist  the  colutiies  in  the  war.  This 
affected  my  situation  so  directly,  that  I  desirecT  to  Wii&tt 
on  what  terms  the  Caffres  and  the  colonists  then  stdod. 
'  We  are  friends,'  said  they,  '  and  it  will  be  ^eilr  fault  if 
we  are  not  alvi^ays  30.' 

"  This  answer  relieved  me  froii  lii'Very  serious  erafbar- 
rassment ;  but  the  fate  of  the  two  unfortunate  ladies  gave 
me  so  itiuch  uneasiness,  that  I  most  earnestly  requested 
of  them  to  tell  me  all  they  knew  of  their  sttuatkni ;  whe- 
ther they  wete  alive  or  tread;  and  if  living,  in  wh«t]^art 
of  the  country  they  were,  situated.  They  replied,  %(nd 
xHth  apparent  concern,  tnit  one  of  the  ladies  had  died 
a'ihort  time  after  her  arrival  at  the  kraal ;  but  they  tttui 
Aerstobd'theoiher  was  living,  and  had  seteral  cimdiren 
6* 


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ir  '^:"'^ 


■iMiiBgimw  ijnrWRicxa. 


■•'»OJ 


..^.# 


*^ 


by  the  ^liief.    '  W)i«re  she  now  i^,'  Mid  they,,  V w^  )M^f({ 

"  After  1  had  received  every  possiUe  information  on, 
this  melancholy  suligect,  we  employed  ourselves  jurinci* 
pally  during  the  remainder  of  the  day  in  assisting  the 
natives  to  save  whatever  c^me  on  shore  from  the  wreck. 
When  they  got  a  piece  of  timber,  they  niaced  it  immedi- 
ately on  the  fire,  as  the  readiest  method  of  procuring  the 
iron,  which  they  sought  after  with  the  most  persevering 
diligence." 

4<  Wlwn  night  came  on,  the  natives  retired,  and  they  left 
us  to  sleep  under  the  sand-hills,  without  covering,  and 
without  food  The  weather  was  boisterous,  and  a  strong 
wind  from  the  westward,  and  the  cold  severe :  a  consuU 
tation  was  held  in  what  manner  they  should  dispose  of 
themselves  until  morning,  and  they  at  length  resolved 
that  some  of  them  should  keep  watch  during  the  night, 
and  the  rest  place  themselvfsno^.the  4^^  att4)  if  possi'* 
ble,  obtain  a  little  rest.        -  *♦  >       ^i  ?  ^^    , 

The  nijght  passed  without  any  of  the  unfortunate  suf- 
ferers enjoying  a  moment  of  repose.  Their  hc<lh;ii  on 
one  side  were  heated  by  the  fire,  but  the  cold  chilled  the 
other  in  such  a  manner  as  to  render  the  pain  hardly 
supportable.  The  sand,  driven  by  the  winds  in  prodi- 
gious quantities,  filled  their  eyes,  ears,  and  mouths,  as 
they  lay  under  the  banks,  and  kept  them  in  perpetual 
motion.  They  like  wise  f^titertAined  appreh^sjqft*  re- 
specting the  natives.        _,,^i«^v-{;f,  ,v,i.   ,*rvf  *".'■■■■  /  -v-Yr 'f'--.t--.'-^i: 

At  length  day  appeared,  and  the  Oaffres  returned  in 
great  numbers.  The  chief,  knowing  they  were  in  want 
of  food,  brought  a  lallock,  which  they  immediately 
slaughtered  by  knocking  the  animal  on  the  head  with 
clubs,  and  penetrating  its  sides  with  their  spears.  It 
was  skinnecl  almost  in  a  moment,  and  they  cut  it  up  in 
lumps,  which  they  placed  on  the  fire  to  singe,  rather 
than  to  roast,  and  then  devoured  their  respective  shares 
with  the  highest  satisfaction.  The  beast,  as  it  was  given 
to  the  famished  crew,  it  might  be  supposed  vyould  be 
left  for  their  own  disposal ;  but  the  Catires  wer.;  .hurjf  ry, 
and  they  knew  nothing  of  Eluxopean  etiquf^^i      i\  #  ii;i|| 


■*  ■ ; ) 


*i 


i«ks,.\. 


L088  OF  TBt  AMBBICAII  8101  ■IBCULB8. 


re- 


a 

It 

in 

Iher 

\res 

ren 

be 

Iruo 


t 


they  presented  the  bullock  to  them  as  a  donation ;  but 
•tliey  saw  no  reason  why  they  should  not  dispose  of  the 
greater  part  of  it. 

On  cutting  up  the  animal,  it  was  observed  they  paid 
more  than  ordinary  attention  to  the  paunch.  Several  of 
the  Cafires  laid  violent  hands  on  it;  and  after  giving  it 
a  shake  for  the  purpose  of  emptying  the  contents,  they 
tore  the  greater  part  in  slits  with  their  teeth,  and  swal* 
lowed  the  whole  ^s  it  came  warm  from  the  beast 

Their  meal,  such  as  it  was,  being  finished,  part  of  the 
crew  proceeded  to  the  shore,  and  the  longboat  was  ob- 
served at  a  considerable  distance.  The  ship  was  divid- 
ing very  fast,  and  the  gale  increasing;  many  things 
were  therefore  cast  on  shore,  which  the  Caffres  were 
indefatigable  in  procuring.  A  cask,  however,  waa 
thrown  on  the  beach,  which  considerably  excited  the 
captain's  anxiety :  it  contained  sixty  gallons  of  rum,  a 
quantity  sufficient  to  have  intoxicated  the  whole  of  the 
natives,  although  they  amounted  to  at  least  three  hun- 
dred. The  predilection  for  such  liquor  is  well  known, 
and  the  consequences  of  their  intoxicaticm  were  particu- 
larly dreaded  by  the  captain.  The  only  wa^  left  waa 
to  steal  to  the  spot  where  the  cask  lay,  and  stave  in  the 
head  without  being  perceived  by  them.  This  was  hap- 
pily accomplished,  and  they  afterwards  stripped  the  ves-^ 
sel  of  the  iron  hoops,  without  discovering  what  had 
been  done,  or  what  it  formerly  contained. 

In  the  general  search  on  the  shore,  one  of  the  Caffres 
had  picked  up  the  ship's  compa^  Not  knowing  what 
it  was,  yet  pleased  with  its  formation,  he  delivered  it  to 
the  chief,  who  immediately  took  it  to  pieces ;  and  aflar 
contemplating  the  various  parts,  took  the  copper  ring  in 
which  it  hung,  and  suspended  it  from  his  neck.  He 
appeared  highly  pleased  with  the  ornament;  and  this 
circumstance  induced  the  captain  to  pesent  him  with 
one  still  more  glittering,  and  of  course,  m  his  estimation, 
more  valuable :  recollecting  that  he  had  in  his  possession 
a  pair  of  paste  knee-buckles,  he  presented  them  to  the 
chief,  and  hung  one  upon  each  of  his  ears. 
^^The  moment  this  was  done,  the  chief  stalked  about 


*■ 


'.Wl 


ItkilkAftiiABtl  feRIPWKicOKSif 


'i'-t  WKTlJ 


*■ 
?, 


with  an  air  or  uncommon  disnity.    His  peopio  seemed'^ 
to  pay  him  greater  reverence  tnan  before,  and  they  werto* 
employed  for  some  time  in  p;azing  at  the  brilliancy  of  the 
omsunents,  and  contemplatmg  the  august  deportmeht  of 
their  chief  magistrate. 

Towards  evening  the  captain  again  addressed  the 
chief  on  the  subject  of  their  departure.  He  requested  he 
would  send  a  guide  with  them  through  the  deserts  to 
the  first  Christirn  settlement,  and  that  nothing  should 
be  wanting  on  h!s  part  to  recompense  his  kindness. 
The  GallVe  paused  for  a  moment,  and  then  very  coolly 
replied,  that  tie  would  gratify  the  captain*s  wishes;  and 
bemg  desired  to  name  the  time  when  he  would  suffer 
them  to  depart,  he  gravely  answered,  "  I'Slien  I  consider 
that  matter  you  shall  be  made  acquainted  with  my  de- 
termination.'' This  answer  alarmed  the  unfortunate 
suflferers.  The  countenance  of  the  savage  appeared  to 
discover  some  hostile  measure  that  was  lurking  in  his 
mind ;  and  yet  his  former  conduct  was  so  liberal  and 
humane,  that  they  had  no  just  ground  for  suspecting 
his  integrity.  The  natives,  however,  were  perceived 
consulting  together  in  parties,  and  from  their  gestures 
nothing  favorable  could  be  perceived.  When  the  day 
was  drawing  to  a  close,  the  crew  was  left  to  res^  under 
the  sand-hills,  as  on  the  former  night.  -^  ♦»^*  *^  t-'i 
f  The  fire  was  recruited  with  some  timber  from  the 
threck,  and  sentinels  placed  as  before.  The  wind  blow- 
ing hard  from  the  same  quarter,  they  were  again  tor-, 
itiented  with  clouds  of*sBuid,  and  a  chilling  atmosphere/ 
June  being  one  of  the  winter  months,  they  had  to  en-r] 
counter  the  severities  of  the  season.  It  was  impossible 
t  i  shift  their  quarters,  as  they  could  not  procure  timber 
io  light  new  fires,  and  the  Canres  might  be  dis^eased  at 
their  not  remaining  in  iheir  former  situation.  The  night 
passed  in  consultations  and  gloomy  predictions.  The 
captain  told  his  people  not  to  do  any  thing  that  mi^ht 
have  the  least  tendency  to  displease  the  natives ;  to  g!ve 
■hem  every  tiling  they  asked  for,  as  the  inhabitants  of 
vhese  deserts  were  only  to  be  dreaded  when  provoked ; 
wilt  at  the  same  time,  if,  contrary  lo  their  expectatioi^ 


.\^.\ 


f 


LOii  or  THI  AMSBIGAN  UHlf  HIBOULU.  ^ 

thoy  inade  an  attack,  or  endeavored  to  detain  them  after 
» a  certain  time,  then  he  liopod  Ihey  would  firmly  unite, 
and  either  force  their  way  or  perish  in  the  conflict. 

Whop  the  tun  made  its  appearance,  they  mounted  the 
most  elevated  of  the  sand-nuls  to  look  out  for  tl^e  long- 
boat; bill  she  was  not  to  be  discovered  in  any  direction. 
In  a  short  time  they  perceived  the  OafllVes  edvanc^ng. 
Mc^t  of  thom  had  assagays  in  their  hands :  others  were 
furnished  with  clubs;  some  were  decorated  with  ostrich 
feathers,  and  their  chief  wore  a  leopard-skin,  J^'^^  ^^^ 
captain^s  kn€i)-buckles  suspended  as  before.  They  sa- 
luted the  crew  in  a  very  friendly  manner,  and  were 
uccompunied  by  them  to  the  beach.  TUe  wind  bad 
increased  during  the  night,  and  several  parts  of  the  ship 
camo  on  shore.  One  of  the  people  had  picked  up  a 
handsaw,  and  as  he  perceived  the  Caffres  were  indefa- 
tigable in  procuring  iron,  he  hid  it  in  the  sands*  Thia 
was  a  valuable  acquisition,  and  became  of  infinite  sec- 
,y;ice  to  them  in  the  course  of  their  proceedmgs. 
'r£[avin([  secured  all  they  could  obtain  from  the  wreck, 
the  captam  requested  the  chief  to  ordei  some  of  his  peq> 
pie  to  display  tlieir  skill  in  the  use  of  the  assagays.  This 
18  a  spear  of  about  four  feet  six  ii^hes  in  length,  made  c^ 
an  elastic  wood,  and  pointed  with  iron,  which  the  nativeii 
contrive  to  poison  so  effectually,  that  if  it  wounds  e^thc^ 
man  or  beast,  death  is  the  inevitable  consequence.     ..j^i 

The  captaui's  wishes  were  immediately  gratified. 
The  Caffres  first  placed  a  block  of  ^ood  on  the  grout  ' 
and  then  retired  about  seveity  vards  from  the  spot  wherfB 
it  lay.  The  chief  then  said  tney  would  now  behold 
their  manner  of  fighting  when  engaged  in  battle.  These  v 
compliances,  as  they  seemed  to  removal  former  suspicions, 
gave  great  satisfaction  to  the  suffereis.  A  party  c^  about 
thirty  began  their  roaucBUvring.  They  first  ri..i  to  ft 
considerable  distance :  then  fell,  as  if  motionless,  on  the 
ground ;  in  a  moment  they  started  up,  divided,  joined 
again,  and  ran  in  a  compact  body  to  the  spot  from 
whence  they  originally  set  out.  After  halting  for  about 
a  minute,  they  let  fly  a  shower  of  assagays  at  the  marjc, 
and  with  a  precision  that  was  truly  astonishing. 


.iM- 


'« 


.Vvt 


i^Xtta^'^fJki^i.'.^iil-^ 


'-y  ■';':. 


% 


.tour. 


mtiMAmxWhhM^:  '-"'''^ 


**  Kot  a  word  more  passed  this  day  about  tiie  depai  tvire 
of  the  crew.  The  natives  votirea  as  usual  on  the  air.' 
|iroach  of  night  All  were  employed  to  gathef  wnoa  \ 
and  after  procuring  a  sufficievit  quantHy,  they  stretched 
themselves  on  the  ground,  ard  in  spitt;  of  wird,  saiiJ, 
and  cold,  slept  until  morning.  ^^ii^  Wu.u; 

^-  Vt'hcn  day  appeared,  all  woto  .Again  ens  ployed  in  look- 
thg  o  !t  for  the  longboat ;  bul  she  was  not  to  be  seen  nor 
did  they  ever  hear  of  her  again. 

M(  f|»|^^.  Oaffres  did  not  iiake  their  appearance  th  3  day 
ontii  rht  ssm  h?itfi  pr^jceedad  two  hours  in  its  course.  As 
little  now  was  ■■<:■  im  pTwcured  from  the  wreck,  caj^tain 
Stout  begged  the  €likt  n)  appoint  a  guide  for  himselt  and 
crew,  as  Y-^.  proposif'  takiog  his  departure  on  the  next 
day.  "I  shall  forruvh  you  with  two,"  said  the  chief. 
Thew  joj^r '"  tidirjgs  were  ddivered  with  so  much  frank- 
ness, that  the  captain  was  relieved  at  once  from  aU  ap- 
prehension and  sitspicion. 

Desirous-  of  having  the  Hottentot  who  served  as  an  in- 
terpreter to  accompany  them  through  the  desert,  the 
^hief  was  given  to  understand  how  much  the  services  of 
this  man  would  not  only  contribute  to  their  pleasure,  but 
ais':-  \o  their  safety.  The  honest  sava^,  however,  had 
antic  pated  the'r  wishes ;  he  had  previously  mentioned 
it  to  the  Hottentot,  who  had  consented  to  proceed  to  the 
first  Christian  farm.  Another  of  the  tribe,  who  was  bet- 
y*st  acquainted  with  the  country,  had  likewise  agreed  to 
be  of  the  party ;  anti  this  infonnation,  which  was  com- 
municated to  die  crew,  4i^ti8ed  a  general  joy  and  satis- 
ifoctioti. 

After  assuring  tlie  chief  and  the  Carres  in  general  of 
our  unalterable  friendship,  and  tfiat  the  guides  should 
b  ]  rewarded  to  the  extent  of  thci?  wishes,  "  I  told  him, 
(».'/s  the  captain,)  we  had  endured  great  distress!'  for 
want  of  water,  and  begged  to  know  where  we  couic^  .  *:*- 
cure  some.  *  I  will  conduct  you,'  said  he,  '  to  a  »;  ^^ 
of  tjxci'lent  water ;  it  i«  not  far  from  this  pla»^e :  s  ^  ^i 
you  thiuk  proper,  we  'I  proceed  directly  to  t..c  ;^ot.' 
No  sooner  was  the  p:  ^.  :jal  made  than  we  sf-  :»rC ,'  the 
Gttifres  ainging  ai&d  dancing  as  they  proceeded    -  id  my 


Ss.^ 


;.,«'  •  II  , 


'.«.%.»! 


LU88  of  Tiki  lyiKlCAlt  SRIP  IffiRCULBS. 


m 


^ 


i)eoplc,  Q^lthongh  not  without  suspicion,  in  tolerable  spi- 
rits/' 

After  travelling  westward  about  four  miles  through  a 
delightful  country,  they  came  at  last  to  a  wood,  in  the 
bosom  of  which  was  discovered  a  holtow.  The  Caflfres 
descended  first,  and  when  they  all  arrived  at  the  bot- 
tom, the  chief  pointed  to  the  brook.  They  drank  of  the 
water  and  foimd  it  delicious.  After  allaymg  their  thirst, 
they  looke '  about,  and  from  the  dismal  appearance  of  the 
place,  were  again  in  a  state  of  apprehension :  being 
mostly  of  opinion,  that  nothing  less  was  intended  by  the 
Caffres  than  to  massacre  the  whole  party  in  this  se- 
questered place;  that  fhey  were  decoyed  here  fbr  the 
purpose ;  and  that  every  man  should  prepare  to  defend 
his  life.  The  captain,  however,  enaeavored  to  quiet 
their  apprehensions,  and  at  last  succeeded.         ;  ^'  ^  ^  \^. 

The  CaffVes  having  invited  the  party  to  temairi  toi 
this  spot  during  the  ni||ht,  they  began  to  prepare  wood 
for  the  fires.  AH  hands  went  to  work,  and  by  the  as- 
sistance of  a  handsawy  they  procured  some  dry  trees  and 
underwood,  that  afforded  a  very  comfortable  fire.  One 
of  the  Hottentots,  who  was  so  rich  as  to  possess  a  tinder- 
box,  struck  a  light ;  and  this  accommodatiim  being  not 
only  highly  useml.  but  unexpected,  gave  new  spirits  to 
the  whole  party.'  :^^'^  '1  '"*  .  '  •'  '  ^' 

The  natives,  a's  theilif^t  came  oh,  tid  not  retire  Hs 
usual  to  theii  ki  al.  This  gave  a  fresh  alarm,  which 
did  not  uppear  to  be  witiiout  some  cause ;  situated  as  the 
party  then  were,  they  were  obliged  to  abide  the  event, 
and  therefore  prepared  for  the  worst  that  could  happen. 
The  watch  was  set  as  formerly ;  but  ^<lie  Caffres,  hud- 
dling together,  were  soon  lost  in  sleep.  This  phi|e,  how-  '"' 
ever  dismal  in  ^ts  8Pi>eaia..'ce,  afforded  a  tolera^r- shelter 
for  the  nigiit .  'mxv.--'  of  .«!and  were  no  longer  trouble- 
some, and  *'  severities  of  the  wind  and  cold  were  mrti- 
gatetl  by  *,:^  friendly  shade  afforded  hy  :he  trees. 

"  We  were  roused,"  says  the  captain,  "  by  the  savages, 
as  the  sun  appeared,  and  we  departed  from  this  supposed 
Gr'gotha  in  toleraole  spirils.  We  had,  however,  wm- 
titmed  the  last  pound  of  our  buHock,  befcTc  we  I«ft  ihv 


;» 


,g^,<,      BXBUBIUPU   UilPWUOKa* 


*oJ 


f 


sand-hills,  and  our  party  beaan  to  dread  an  approaching 
famine.  1  mentioned  the  distress  of  my  people  to  the 
chiel^  and  he  promised  to  relieve  us.  We  had  journeyed 
but  a  few  miles,  when  the  Caffres  told  us  we  must  re- 
main where  WQ  were  that  night.  We  accordingly  set  lo 
work  to  procure  firewood,  and  had  scarcely  completed 
this  necessary  business,  when  the  chief  presented  us  with 
another  bullock.  It  was  soon  despatched,  skinned,  cut 
into  pieces  of  about  four  pounds  each,  and  we  then  pro- 
ceeded to  dress  them  as  provision  for  pur  journey.  This 
was  a  business  of  so  much  importance,  that  most  of  the 
j|ay  was  spent  in  accomplishing  it. 
'  "The  night  passed  with  less  apprehension  than  be- 
fore, and  when  the  morning  cam^s,  we  prepared  for  our 
departure. 

"  The  mon^nt  now  arrived  when  the  real  intentions 
f^  U^e  pafTres  were  to  be  developed.  The  natives  oamc 
about  )is,  and  assisted  in  dividing  the  provisions.  Bach 
man  was  to  carry  his  own  stock,  wiuch  amounted  to 
about  three  or  four  pounds  of  beef';  this,  wijth  some  bis- 
cuits, which  a  few  of  my  people  htd  contrived  to  pre- 
serve from  the  wreck,  was  to  serve  vs  until  we  reachoxl 
a  Christian  settlement.  So  far  from  any  appearance  of 
hostility,  the  natives  seemed  to  vie\|r  our  departure  with 
regret.  I  took  the  chief  by  the  hand,  and  thanked  bim 
for  his  great  and  friendly  attentions  to  me  and  my  '-un- 
fortunate crew ;  assuring  him  at  the  same  time,  that  if  I 
survived  the  journey,  it  would  ever  be  my  first  conside.ra- 
dpn  to  render  him  and  his  people  some  essential  service. 
He  thanked  me,  and  then  requested  I  would  tell  the 
colonists  our  shij)  was  lost  at  sea,  and  so  distant  from  the 
land  that  no  part  of  her  could  possibly  reach  the  shore. 
He  also  desired  me  to  place  the  utmopt  confidence  in  my 
euides,  as  they  would  certainly  direct  me  for  the  best. 
Xiter  my  people  and  the  natives  had  exchanged  some 
mutual  civilities,  we  parted,  and  gave  cm;  another  a  last 
and  a^ectionate  adieu." 

They  did  not  take  their  departure  on  Uie  mor>^'ng  of 
tiie  23a  until  the  sun  ^  as  well  up.    The  guides  y^ev 
^ligmt,  and  gave  tl^em  to  understand  that  th^y  mv.*. 


"■"''>riP"''l| 


LOSS   OF  TBB  iJiSBICAM  SBIP  HBRCULB8. 


7i 


>s  oamc 


OQ  no  account  travel  early,  as  the  wild  beasts  constantly 
rose  with  the  sun,  and  then  ranged  the  deserts  in  quest 
of  their  prey.  As  they  were  all  unarmed,  a  single  lioni 
leopard,  or  panther  could  have  destroyed  most  of  them. 
It  oecame,  therefore,  highly  necessary  they  should  not 
stir  until  theiie  animals  had  satisfied  their  hunger,  and 
were  retired  for  the  day. 

Notwithstanding  this  cautious  and  necessary  advice, 
and  which  was  given  with  a  laudable  earnestness  for 
their  preservation,  still  the  people  were  so  desirous  ot 
getting  on,  that  they  grew  uneasy ;  but  tl^e  guides  could 
not  be  induced  to  quit  the  fires  until  about  nine  o'clock, 
at  which  time  they  all  proceeded,  and  in  good  spirits. 

Not  more  than  three  or  four  ot  the  party  were  at  this 
moment  in  possession  of  f^hoes.  They  had  many  hun- 
dred miles  to  travel  through  unknown  countries,  to  as- 
cend mountains  of  stupendous  elevaiion,  penetrate  woodc, 
traverse  deserts,  and  ford  rivers ;  and  yet  they  were  to 
combat  all  these  difficulties  barefooted,  not  havir  g  saved 
above  four  pair  of  shoes,  and  even  these  b'  :^  in  a  sad  con- 
dition. 

"  As  my  feet  were  naked,"  says  the  captain,  "  like 
most  of  my  people,  one  of  them  ofiered  rn3  an  old  pair 
of  boots  which  he  then  wore ;  but  I  refused  them.  My 
habiliments  were  a  short  jacket,  a  tablecloth,  which  I 
found  on  the  shore,  wrapt  round  my  loins ;  a  shawl  over 
it ;  four  shirts,  which  I  wore  at  the  same  time ;  a  pair  of 
trousers,  and  a  hat  We  bore  to  the  westward  on  our 
setting  out,  for  the  purpose  of  obtadning  fresh  water  in 
the  course  of  our  journey.  Our  guides  observed,  that 
near  the  coast  the  water  was  generally  brackish;  we 
therefore  struck  into  the  interior,  and  were  not  entirely 
disappointed  in  our  expectati^ms." 

They  now  travelled  through  a  country  beautifully 
variegated  wHh  hills,  dales,  extensive  plains  finely 
watered,  but  less  wooded  than  the  former.  The  grass 
appeared  of  an  "Ttraordinary  h'  ..^ht;  but  in  the  course 
they  pursued,  :  '.  human  footstep  could  foe  trar^;  no 
cattle,  nor  skju    «  ciii-ivation,  couid  be  observed.    They 

re  not  interrupted  by  any  beast  of  prty,^  although  $^y 


m 


w 


A.;-. 


'&l"i 


n* 


BIMAftlABLI  mPWllOU. 


<i#OJ 


I 


constantly  perceived  *hr':\  ^imr^.  At  length,  after  trareT- 
ling  about  thirty-fiv*^  lU." .  h.  iiey  began  to  feel  the  want 
of  water. 

Having  searcht^d  for  this  indispensable  aliment,  with 
the  utmost  anxi<jty  and  attention,  they  were  so  fortunate 
as  to  discover,  before  sunset,  a  brook  that  ran  near  the 
comer  of  a  wood ;  and  here  they  d*5t*»Trv-ined  to  rest  for 
the  night.  They  began,  therefo:fc>  u>  j)repare  ^  suflicient 
quantity  o{  fuel.  'Hie  wood  was  chiefly  composed  of 
trees  that  partook  in  some  degree  of  the  nature  of  thorn : 
they  cu*,  several,  and  arranged  their  fires.  One  of  the 
Canres  tV  uck  a  light,  and  tne  whole,  in  a  few  minutes, 
was  in  a  blaze.  The  tinder  which  he  provided  was  of  a 
partic  liar  description ;  it  consisted  of  a  pitchy  substancfe, 
extracted  from  a  reed,  and  so  tenacious  of  fire,  that  a 
single  spark  from  the  steel  caught  it  in  a  moment.  The 
weather  being  ^old,  they  resolved  to  sleep  close  to  one 
another ;  but  the  guides  told  them  the  place  they  had 
fixed  upon  to  rest  during  the  night  was  known  to  be  ir- 
fested  with  leopards,  and  that,  if  they  scented  the  party, 
nothing  could  prevent  them  from  destroying  some  of 
them.  This  intelligence  induced  them  to  enlarge  their 
fi^s,  and  they  began  to  consult  upon  other  measures 
that  were  likely  to  contribute  also  to  their  preservation. 
But  such  is  the  powerful  influence  of  Morpheus  over  the 
harassed  soul,  that  their  conversation  had  scarcely  com- 
menced on  this  important  subject,  when  they  were  all 
relieved  from  any  sense, of  danger,  by  gently  falling  into 
a  sound  sleep,  in  which  tliey  remained  in  perfect  securi- 
ty until  morning.         '*"'^    .^^mi^^^  ssr^  m  »iiwfvi  ^«* 

No  sooner  had  the  sun  peeped  above  the  horizon,  than 
they  were  all  roused  by  the  tremendous  roaring  of  lions. 
Never  were  men  in  a  situation  more  truly  alarming. 
Had  they  discovered  them  dur^-  ;  the  night,  they  must 
have  been  torn  to  pieces  whei.  ep  ig,  as  not  an  indi- 
vidual could  attend  the  watch,  or  keep  awake  even  for 
an  hour.  They  therefore  congratulated  one  another  on 
fii  ing  they  had  all  escaped,  and  set  out  about  seven  in 
the  morning  in  company  with  their  guides.  They  soon 
airived  at  the  bank  of  a  small  river,  which,  being  per- 


.«! 


i 


Mh 


••7>  ■ 


LOSS  or  Tm  amieioan  nor  RiBOULif. 


fectly  dry,  they  crossed  without  difficulty,  ^lortly  after 
they  came  to  another,  which  they  hkewise  passed  in  a 
few  minutes.  They  reached  at  length  some  islands,  from 
the  tops  of  which  they  discovered  several  beautiful  valrs, 
clothed  with  long  dry  grass,  and  clusters  of  trees;  in 
other  places,  forests  ot  considerable  extent,  and  skirting 
mountains  of  different  elevations.  In  the  course  of  the 
day  they  were  in  great  distress  for  want  of  water,  and 
lost  much  time  in  the  pursuit  of  it.  Indeed  they  almost 
despaired  of  finding  any,  as  the  earth  appeared  so  dry  as 
to  exhaust  all  the  brooks  they  had  visited.  Luckily, 
however,  about  sunset,  they  discovered  a  small  rivulet 
that  ran  near  the  skirt  of  a  forest ;  and,  although  the 
water  was  not  good,  yet  it  still  relieved  them  irom  a 
dreadful  situation.  uMu,iM  ri>i<%ilv  nr'ti^^^tTi. 

Having  travelled  this  day  about  thirty  miles,  they  de- 
termined to  remain  where  they  were  during  the  night. 
All  hands,  therefore,  went  immediately  to  work,  for  the 
pu'-pose  of  getting  fuel.  They  had  seen  no  wild  ani- 
mr  'h  in  the  course  of  the  day,  but  frequently  observed 
the  lung  of  the  elephant  and  the  rhinoceros. 

As  their  situation  for  this  night  was  as  dangerous  and 
deplorable  as  on  the  precedins:  one,  they  determined  to 
enlarge  their  fires,  as  the  only  means  of  safety  they  had 
left.  This  \^as  accordingly  done,  and  they  had  the 
pleasure  to  find,  when  the  day  appeared,  that  not  an  in- 
dividual was  missing  of  the  whole  party. 
.  They  proceeded  on  their  journey  shortly  after  sun- 
rise ;  and,  as  they  were  to  travel  through  a  wood  of  con- 
siderable extent,  the  guides  told  them  to  be  upon  their 
guard,  as  they  would  certainly  be  interrupted  by  wild 
animals,  which  resorted  to  that  place  in  prodigious  num- 
bers. They  determined,  notwithstanding,  to  brave  all 
dangers,  and  accordingly  proceeded.  They  indeed  es- 
caped the  lions,  the  panthers,  the  rhinoceros,  the  ele- 
phant, &c.  but,  unfortunately,  about  noon,  came  up  with 
a  horde  of  Caffres,  that  were  distinguished  by  their  owif , 
countrymen  as  a  bad  tribe.  They  spoke  at  first  to  some 
Caffre  women,  who  behaved  kindly,  and  gave  them 
one  or  two  baskets  of  milk.  These  baskets  are  raadei 
of  twigs,  wove  so  closely  together  as  to  hold  water.      '^^ 


1« 


■tiiAiiiiLi  gmrwitoK*. 


'Ai^ 


HaTlnir;  proceeded  but  a  short  way,  after  receiring  this 
instance  offemale  liberality,  they  were  stopped  by  twelve 
Caflre  men,  armed  with  spears,  and  clothed  in  leopard- 
skins.  Their  guides,  alarmed  at  the  appearance  of  these 
savages,  flew  to  the  banks  of  the  great  Fish  river,  iHiich 
at  that  time  was  not  more  than  two  hundred  yards  from 
the  place  where  they  stood.  They  repeatedly  called  ol 
them  to  return,  but  in  vain ;  they  immediately  crossed 
the  bed  of  the  river,  which  was  dry,  and  having  reached 
the  opposite  shore,  ascended  an  adjoining  mountain  with 
the  utmost  precipitation.  The  savages  brandished  their 
spears,  and  appeared  by  their  gestures  to  menace  the 
destruction  of  the  people.  They  could  not  understand 
them,  but  supposed  they  demanded  from  them  whatever 
articles  they  possessed ;  and  as  these  principally  consist- 
ed of  the  little  stock  of  provisions  they  had  left,  and  their 
clothes,  they  determined  not  to  part  with  either. 

One  of  the  captain's  people  had  a  knife,  which  was 
slung  over  his  shoulder.  A  Oaffre  perceiving  it,  made 
a  snatch  at  the  handle ;  but  the  owner  resisting  it,  he 
lost  his  hold.  This  so  enraged  the  savage,  that  he  lifted 
up  his  assagay  with  an  apparent  intention  of  despatching 
the  object  of  his  resentment.  At  the  moment  lie  stood 
in  this  attitude,  a  more  finished  picture  of  horror,  or  what 
may  be  conceived  of  the  infernals,  was  perhaps  never 
seen  before.  The  savage  wore  a  leopard's  skin;  his 
black  countenance  bedaubed  with  red  ochre ;  his  eyes, 
inflamed  with  rage,  appeared  as  if  starting  from  their 
sockets;  his  mouth  expanded,  and  his  teeth  gnashing 
and  grinning  with  all  the  fury  of  an  exasperated  demon. 
He  was,  however,  diverted  from  his  purpose,  and  drop- 
ped the  assagay.  -"■'-'"«**?  <"»**  '-'jm-.-.-***^.''  ,i.,,,*™^^,*...;i.-:...,i. 

The  crew  instantly  proceeded  to  the  river,  arid  cross- 
ed it  in  pursuit  of  their  guides,  who  were  standing  on 
the  summit  of  the  mountain ;  when  they  came  up,  the 
guides  expressed  the  utmost  satisfaction  at  their  escape. 
They  gave  them  a  terrible  description  of  the  people  they 
had  just  left,  and  assured  them,  if  the  remainder  of  their 
horde  had  not  been  hunting  at  the  time  they  got  to  the 
Fish  river,  not  a  man  of  them  would  have  survived. 


S'f 


Th«y  • 

horde 

Thei 
they  rei 
journey 
when  a 
ties  bur 
had  jus 
when 
mediate 
spread 
of  raptu 
a  level,  ; 
on  the  tc 
mimosa 
ous  deno 
der  thro 
appearin 
denly  t.M 
of  consi^ 
ty;  here 
ing  its  CO 
out  the  v^ 
As  the; 
ceived  in 
species  o 
darting  tl 
the  rivuh 
new  beau 
the  whoU 
on  the  ho 
templatin 
and  rem! 
length  de 
Before 
they  wer 
wood,  m 
mentions 
only  for 
defence  a 


w»i 


m^ 


nt\  iiHii 


HHi 


^tmm 


Lost  or  TBI  AiOHUOAif  mp  ntouLia.  Tr 

They  alto  declared,  that  they  were  the  mbit  abominaile 
horde  throughout  the  whole  of  Caffraria. 

Their  conversation  lasted  hut  a  few  minutes,  when 
they  resolved  to  descend  the  mountain,  and  pursue  their 
journey.  Scarcely  had  they  put  themselves  in  motion, 
when  a  scene  of  the  moet  extensive  and  luxuriant  heau- 
ties  burst  in  a  moment  on  their  view.  The  danger  they 
had  just  escaped  engaged  their  attention  so  entirely, 
when  they  gamed  the  summit,  that  they  did  not  im- 
mediately perceive  the  world  of  beauties  that  now  lay 
spread  before  them.  AH  stood  for  ^me  time  in  a  state 
of  rapture  and  amazement.  The  country  was  mostly 
a  level,  yet  pleasingly  diversified  with  gentle  elevations, 
on  the  tops  of  which  they  could  perceive  clumps  of  the 
mimosa  tree,  and  the  sides  clothed  with  .shrubs  of  vari* 
ous  denominations.  A  thousand  rivulets  seemed  to  mean- 
der through  this  second  Eden;  frequently  skirting  or 
appearing  to  encircle  a  plantation  of  wood ;  then  sud- 
denly t.^king  a  different  direction,  glided  through  a  plain 
of  considerable  extent,  until  it  came  to  a  gentle  declivi- 
ty ;  here  it  formed  a  natural  cascade,  and  then,  follow- 
ing its  course,  proceeded  in  an  endless  variety  through- 
out the  whole  of  the  country. 

As  they  stood  gazing  on  this  sylvan  scene,  they  jper- 
ceived  innumerable  herds  of  animals,  particularly  of  the 
species  of  the  gazelle,  scouring  over  the  plains;  some 
darting  through  the  woods,  others  feeding,  or  drinking  at 
the  rivulets.  As  far  as  the  eye  travelled  in  pursuit  of 
new  beauties,  it  was  most  amply  gratified,  until  at  length 
the  whole  gradually  faded  on  the  view,  and  became  lost 
on  the  horizon.  They  were  so  wrapt  in  ecsnisy  in  con-^ 
templating  this  landscape,  that  they  forgot  their  danger, 
and  remained  too  long  upon  the  mountain.  They  at 
length  descended  and  proceeded  on  their  journey. 

Before  the  day  closed  they  fixed  on  a  place  where 
they  were  to  remain  until  the  morning.  It  was  near  a 
wood,  mostly  composed  of  that  kind  of  thorn  already 
mentioned.  Several  of  these  they  immediately  cut,  not; 
only  for  the  purpose  of  fuel,  but  to  form  a  barricade  atr 
defence  against  the  wild  animals  during  the  night.  ■%■. 

T*  ■        ■■  -M 


m 


'T.*' 


rbmarKablb  shipwrecks. 


^■ 


After  completing  their  fortification,  lighting  the  fires, 
and  supping  in  the  best  manner  possible,  thny  lay  down 
to  rest ;  but  their  sleep  was  constantly  disturbed  during 
the  night  by  a  herd  of  elephants  brushing  through  the 
wood,  passing  and  returning  almost  every  moment.  Had 
•not  the  fence  been  erected  the  preceding  evening,  they 
would  in  all  probability  have  been  trampled  to  death  by 
these  monstrous  animals.  They  had  the  good  fortune 
however  to  escape;  and,  about  seven  the  next  morning, 
proceeded  on  their  journey,  in  company  with  the  guides. 

They  travelled  this  day  through  a  delightful  country. 
The  land,  in  some  places,  seemed  to  be  composed  of  a 
red  and  yellow  clay,  and  the  valleys  appeared  covered 
with  a  very  thick  and  long  grass,  but  not  a  sign  of  agri- 
culture was  to  be  observed.  In  the  course  of  the  day 
they  perceived  a  few  deserted  huts,  one  of  which  they 
entered,  but  paid  severely  for  their  curiosity,  as  thos,., 
who  ventured  in  were  in  a  moment  entirely  covered 
with  fleas. 

Water  was  found  sometimes,  but  it  was  brackish,  al- 
though they  were  at  least  fifty  miles  from  the  sea.  They 
kep-';  at  this  distance  during  most  of  the  journey. 

T  hey  brought  up  for  the  night,  after  travelling  about 
thirt  T-five  miles,  at  the  skirt  of  a  small  forest,  and  pro- 
vided fuel,  with  a  temporary  defence,  as  before.  The 
provisions  being  near'^  exhausted,  they  were  obliged  to 
eat  sparingly,  although  most  of  them  were  ravenously 
hungry. 

About  seven  in  the  morning  they  again  set  out ;  but 
many  of  the  people  dropped  astern  in  the  course  of  the. 
day,  being  almost  worn  out  with  fatigue.  In  this  situa- 
tion it  was  thought  advisable  for  such  of  the  party  as 
could  travel  to  get  forward,  and  provide  a  place  where 
wood  and  water  could  be  had.  The  captain  was  of  this 
company;  and  that  all  those  who  remained  behind 
might  find  their  way,  he  ordered  the  Caffre  guides  to  set 
fire  to  the  long  grass,  which  served  during  the  night  as 
a  point  of  direction.  He  was  likewise  in  expectation  of 
their  coming  up  before  morning,  but  was  sadly  disap- 
pointed. They  remained  stationary  imtil  the  sun  ap- 
peared, and  then  went  on. 


LOSS  OF  THB  AMBBICAN  SHIP  BBBCULES. 


1^ 


* 


■  Not  one  of  the  people  left  behind  appeared  this  morn- 
ing ;  but  the  guides  were  of  opinion  they  would  reach  a 
Christian  settlement  in  the  course  of  the  day,  where  as- 
sistance would  certainly  be  had.  This  intelligence  gave 
them  new  spirits ;  and  they  travelled  with  unusual  alert- 
ness until  they  came  to  a  farm-house.  Here  relief  was 
expected,  but  none  was  to  be  found:  the  whole  place 
had  been  deserted  for  some  time;  they  were  obliged, 
therefore,  to  sleep  again  in  the  air,  and  leave  their 
absent  and  miserable  companions  to  all  the  horrors  of 
the  desert. 

This  was  not  a  night  of  sleep,  but  lamentation.  They 
sat  round  the  fire,  and  spoke  of  nothing  but  their  absent 
messmates,  and  their  unfortunate  situation.  ,  They  were 
left  defenceless,  without  food,  hardly  able  to  stand  erect, 
and  in  a  country  where  the  ferocious  animals  were  most 
numerous.  They  were  likewise  every  hour  in  danger  of 
an  attack  from  the  Boshis-m3n,  who  swarm  in  these  parts, 
and  destroy  the  unhappy  objects  of  their  vengeance  with 
arrows  that  are  poisoned.  The  sensibility  of  the  people 
on  this  melancholy  occasion  displayed  the  genuine  cha- 
racter of  a  sailor.  Men  who  could  brave  all  the  dangers 
of  the  tempest,  and  face  death  without  a  trembling 
nerve,  even  in  the  cannon's  mouth,  could  not,  however, 
speak  of  their  distressed  and  absent  brethren  without  a 
tear.  Their  own  misfortunes  were  forgotten,  and  their 
only  consideration,  during  the  night,  was  their  unhappy 
messmates,  whom  they  never  expected  to  behold  again. 

They  remained  here  for  more  than  an  hour  aiter  the 
rising  of  the  sun.  Out  of  sixty,  that  composed  the  party 
when  they  departed  from  the  beach,  thirty-six  v/ere  so 
maimed  and  worri  ^Pwn  by  fatigu.  as  to  be  unable  to 
travel :  these  remained  in  the  desert,  If  not  already  de- 
stroyed, and  had  no  hope  of  preservation  but  by  the 
exertions  of  the  party  who  were  able  to  proceed.  The 
guides  were  now  certain  that  a  Christian  habitation  was 
at  hand.  The  last  they  saw  had  been  destroyed  by  the 
CaiTres  in  the  war  with  the  colonists :  it  was  therefore 
determined  to  proceed  to  a  place  where  relief  could  be 
obtained,  with  every  possible  despatch.    The  people 


•inM 


'"'''Pf^^^'^^i  ''''^'\r-'H''' 


to..  <? 


.«»J  :ll||AStAtt,«  Mffl^WBtbKS.      ^^^'i 


pfoeeeded  with  i«doubled  energy ;  the  salyation  of  theu 
companions  was  the  incentive,  and  that  consideratlori 
banished  every  idea  of  danger  or  fatigue.  ■>' 

They  travelled  without  a  single  halt  for  about  three 
hours,  when  one  of  the  guides,  who  was  advanced, 
roared  out,  in  a  transport  of  joy,  ''  I  see  a  Hottentot, 
attending  a  flock  of  sheep."  It  was  the  voice  of  a  seraph 
proceeding  from  a  Caffre.  They  all  ran  to  the  place 
where  he  stood,  andj  at  a  considerable  distance,  observed 
a  man  attending  a  flock  of  at  least  four  thousand.  They 
moved  in  a  body  towards  the  shepherd,  who  seemed  at 
first  to  be  alarmed;  but  perceiving  that  they  were  mostly 
whites,  and  unarmed,  he  stopped  until  they  came  up. 
The  captain  requestec.  of  him  to  direct  them  the  nearest 
way  to  the  first  settlement,  which  he  did,  and  at  the 
same  time  informed  us  the  proprietor  was  a  good  man ; 
the  distance,  he  said,  was  about  three  miles.  The  plea- 
sure difiused  through  the  party,  on  receiving  this  infor- 
mation, it  is  impossible  to  describe.  The  captain  em- 
braced this  opportunity,  and  Went  on;  a  general  joy 
succeeded,  ana  who  should  be  foremost  was  the  princi- 
pal consideration. 

At  length— ecstatic  reflection ! — they  came  within  sight 
of  a  Christian  farm.  "Come  on,  my  lads,"  said  the 
captain,  "  we  are  safely  moored  at  last ;  and  our  people 
in  the  deserts  will  be  soon  relieved."  Some  tottered  as 
they  stood,  overcome  with  joy,  and  could  not  move; 
others  appeared  as  in  a  trance,  until  at  length  about  ten 
followed  him,  and  they  entered  the  house  of  Jan  du 
Pliesies. 

Fortunately,  this  was  a  settler  of  the  best  order,  about 
sixty  years  old,  bom  in  Holland,  butiRvho  had  resided  in 
Africa  for  many  years ;  humane,  generous,  and  possess- 
ing a  heart  that  appeared  to  be  the  constant  mansion  of 
a  virtuous  S3rmpathy.  His  cottage  was  formed  of  clay, 
thatched  with  a  kind  of  reed,  and  furnished  with  a  few 
stools,  a  table,  and  some  kitchen  utensils.  His  family 
consisted  of  five  or  six  sons,  their  wives  and  children, 
together  with  a  daughter,  making  together  about  twen- 
ty people.     His  stock,  however,  was  considerable;  not 


LOSS  OF  THB  AMMUCA^  SHIP  BBECULB8. 

itaa  than  twelve  thousand  liheep,  and  one  thousand 
oxea.  ^         I 

After  the  alarm  which  their  first  appearance  occa- 
sioned had  subsided,  the  captain  told  the  story  of  ^eir 
melancholy  disaster,  and  implored  his  assistance  for  the 
relief  of  the  unhappy  people  who  were  left  behind. 
This  good  man  could  not  listen  to  the  relation  without 
discovering  by  his  countenance  the  tenderness  of  his 
nature.  His  face,  which  was  naturally  pallid,  became 
at  certain  intervals  of  a  crimson  hue:  these  emotions 
appeared  as  the  effervescence  of  sensibility,  and  to  exhi-^ 
bit,  in  glowing'bolors,  the  complexicm  of  virtue. 

As  no  time,  he  said,  should  be  lost  in  preparing  for 
the  relief  of  the  unfortunate  people,  he  inunediately  dk 
rected  two  of  his  sons  to  harness  eight  oxen  to  a  wagon, 
His  orders  were  obeyed  with  a  cheerfulness  tiiat  evinced 
an  hereditary  goodness,  and  that  it  had  descended,  un- 
impaired, from  the  sire  to  his  children.  They  were  di- 
rected to  travel  all  night ;  and  the  guides  described  the 
spot  so  minutely  as  to  avoid  all  possibility  of  a  mistake. 
The  wagon  was  soon  out  of  sight,  and  they  all  sat  down 
to  partake  uf  a  3heep,  which  our  liberal  host  had  ordered 
to  be  killed  for  their  entertainment         .;$  <^^  ; 

When  the  meal  was  over,  the  worthy  colonist  began 
to  interrogate  them  respecting  their  journey^ through 
Crffraria.  He  could  not  possibly  conceive,  he  said,  how 
the  Tambochis  could  be  induced  to  suffer  their  depar- 
ture. They  were  such  a  horrid  race,  that  nothing  was 
so  gratifying  to  their  nature  as  the  shedding  of  human 
blood.  The  Boshis-men,  he  also  observed,  were  so  nu- 
merous, and  so  perpetually  on  the  look-out,  that  he  was 
amazed  at  their  travelling  with  any  degree  of  security  • 
but  when  he  considered  that  they  came  through  a  part  of 
Caffraria  so  infested  with  carnivorous  animals  that  peo- 
ple could  never  travel  safely  but  in  parties,  and  well 
armed,  he  declared  their  being  then  in  his  house  apr 
peared  to  him  a  kind  of  miracle.  f^ 

The  captain  took  this  opportunity  of  giving  our  wor- 
thy host  a  proper  idea  of  the  Tambochis.  .  His  mind  had 
been  poisoned  by  some  of  his  de];»redatiug  neighbors,  and 


\ 


.•■f^,r-_T-frv^ 


# 


^^^    SltBIAHlCAlILt  gmrWBBCIS.     •'.«*U 


■-s. 


norer  going  on  such  parties  himself,  he. had  entertained 
ttiese  prejudices  without  having  an  opportunity  of  know- 
ing the  contrary.  He  appeared  much  pleased  at  the 
conduct  of  the  Tambochis  during  our  abode  in  their 
country,  and  declared  this  circumstance  alone  would 
relieve  him  from  many  hours  of  uneasiness. 

His  sequestered  mansion  was  nearly  surrounded  by 
trees,  on  which  were  hung  to  dry  the  skins  of  lions,  ti- 
gers, panthers,  and  other  destructive  animals  killed  in 
the  vicinity  of  his  own  habitation.  The  carcasses  of 
two  enormous  creatures  were  observed  lying  near  the 
door,  which  had  the  appearance  of  being  recently  de-' 
stroyed.  They  were  two  rhinoceroses  that  the  farmer's 
sons  had  killed,  but  the  day  before,  on  the'r  own  land. 
This  gave  rise  to  a  narrative  respecting  these  animals, 
which  the  good  man  related  with  great  circumspection, 
and  which  appeared  very  extraordinary. 

"These  creatures,"  said  the  fanner,  "are  more  sa- 
vage, and  infinitely  more  to  be  dreaded,  than  any  other 
animal  of  the  deserts.  Even'  the  lion,  when  he  perceives 
a  rhinoceros,  will  llyTrom  him  in  an  instant.  J  had  a 
proof  of  this,"  said  he,  "  about  two  years  ago.  As  I  was 
traversing  my  lands  in  the  morning,  I  perceived  a  lion 
entering  a  thicket,  about  the  distance  of  half  a  mile  from 
the  piact» where  I  stood.  In  a  few  minutes  after  I  ob- 
served a  second,  then  a  third,  and  a  fourth  came ;  they 
seemed  to  follow  one  aitpther  at  their  leisure,  and,  in  less 
than  an  hour,  I  countedsine  that  entered  the  same  wood. 
Never  having  seen  so  mlny  of  the  same  species  together, 
I  was  desirous  to  knowjme  event  of  their  meeting,  and  1 
concealed  myself  forrtne  puiw>se.  After  waiting  for 
rather  more  than  an  Tiour  in  my  lurking  place,  without 
either  seeing  any  of  (hem  or  hearing  any  noise  from  the 
quarter  where  they  lay,  I  be^^  to  despair  of  having  my 
curiosity  in  the  least  gratifieoEii'  At  length  I  perceived  a 
rhinoceros  of  uncommon  magnitude  approach  the  wood. 
He  stood  motionless  for  about  five  minutes  when  he  ar- 
rived at  a  small  distance  from  the  thicket,  then  tossed 
up  his  nose,  and  at  last  scented  the  animals  that  lay  con- 
cealed.   In  an  instant  I  saw  him  dart  into  the  wood,  and 


LOSS  OF  TU;  AMUUCAN  HHS9  HKMCULB8. 


m 


in  the  space  of  about  five  miautes  afterward^  I  ob8eive4 
all .  the  lions  scamper  away  in  different  directions,  and 
apparently  in  the  greatest  consternation.  The  rhinoceros 
beat  about  the  wood  in  pursuit  of  his  enemies  for  a  con- 
siderable time ;  but  not  finding  anVf  be  broke  covert  at 
last  and  i^ppeared  on  the  plain.  He  then  looked  aroond 
him,  enraged  at  his  disappointment,  began  tearing  up  the 
earth,  and  discovered  every  sign  of  madness  ari  despe- 
ration. I  remained  quietly  in  my  retreat  until  the  ani- 
mal disappeared,  and  then  returned  'o  my  house." 
.V  The  travellers  slept  this  night  on  sacks,  which  their 
K  ad  arranged  for  their  acconmiodation.  At  break- 
tbu^,  s...  the  succeeding  morning,  their  benefactor  enter- 
'  ined  them  with  some  very  interesting  observations 
re^^^cicting  the  country  where  he  resided.  He  particular- 
ly stated  the  hardships  which  the  colonists  endured  from 
the  restrictive  orders  and  persecuting  conduct  of  the  go- 
vernment at  the  Cape.  "  I  have  lead  ore,"  said  he,  "on 
my  own  farm,  so  near  the  surface  that  we  can  scrape  it 
up  with  our  hands,  and  yet  we  dare  not  touch  it  If  we 
were  known  to  melt  and  use  a  single  pound  of  it,  we 
should  all  be  transported,  for  life,  to  Batavia."  r 

Before  they  had  finished  their  meal,  their  benefactor 
despatched  messengers  to  his  neighboring  friends,  de- 
siring their  assistance  to  get  the  crew  to  the  Oajpe.  Se- 
veral of  them  came  and  behaved  with  the  greatest  ten- 
derness and  liberality.  They  went  so  far  as  to  say,  that 
such  as  were  desirous  of  remaining  in  the  country  till 
they  were  perfectly  recovered,  should  be  accommodated 
at  their  houses ;  .and  as  they  travelled  once  in  every  year 
to  the  Cape,  they  would  take  the  first  opportunity  of 
conveying  them  tnither.  The  captain  thanked  them  tor 
their  kindness,  but  declined  accepting  their  proposal,  as 
his  intention  was  to  make  the  Cape  with  every  possible 
expedition.  _^,  int; 

This  conversation  was  interrupted  by  a  Hottentot  ser- 
vant who  ran  into  the  house  and  declared  the  ''  wagon 
w&a  in  sight"  All  flew  to  meet  it,  and  the  captain  had 
the  heart-felt  consolation  of  perceiving  twentyrthree 
cxf  his  unfortunate  people,  chiefly  lascars,  lying  down 


>»', 

-5-, 


„^u.^ 


u 


•^^^' H^lAiiABLi  »inr#Rl«jis;    '^^*^* 


in  tfie  machine.  On  their  arriTal,  the  two  pons  of  Pliesies 
said  they  found  them  near  a  wood,  perfc/ctly  resisned  to 
their  fate,  having  given  up  all  hopes  of  relief  The  pre- 
ceding thirteen  of  their  companions  had  separated  from 
them ;  but  where  they  had  strayed  to  not  one  of  them 
could  even  guess  at.  These  poor  fellows,  after  enduring 
for  a  long  time  the  most  unexampled  miseries,  all  arrived 
in  iafety  at  the  Cape. 

Iliey  were  now  forty^seven  in  number,  and  as  they 
weiii  to  proceed  in  wag(ms,  such  as  were  afflicted  with 
son  feet,  or  weak,  through  hunger  and  fatigue,  would 
r-:>i  again  be  separated  from  their  companions. 

Their  benevolent  host  now  provided  them  with  a  wa- 
gon and  two  sets  of  oxen,  each  set  containing  eight. 
T*»"ty  were  occasionally  to  relieve  each  other  on  the 
■tt  c».y,  and  two  or  three  Hottentot  servants  were  appointed 
as  drivers,  and '  to  take  charge  of  the  relaying  cattle. 
One  of  the  farmer's  sons,  completely  armed,  was  likewise 
directed  to  attend  them,  and  the  wagon  was  stored  with 
t#  provisic.  \s  and  water  sufficient  for  them  until  they  should 

arrive  at  the  next  settlement. 

They  took  their  departure  from  the  hospitable  mansion 
of  the  benevolent  Du  Pliesies  on  the  morning  of  the  2d  of 
Jul*  The  guard  was  perpetually  on  the  watch,  lest  tho 
Boshis-n||n  or  the  wild  animahi  might  dart  upon  ther/i 
unpercelved.  About  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening,  how- 
ever, they  7 '.ached  the  second  farm  in  perfect  security. 
The  distance  travelled  was  about  thirty-five  miles  this 
'day,  and  all  the  people  in  good  spirits.  -   --     ^   -  ^^^^  v  -^^ 

The  owner,  whose  name  was  Cornelius  Engi^rock, 
they  found  also  a  benevolent  character.  His  cottage 
was  poor  indeed,  but  all  that  he  could  afford  he  gave 
with  cheerfulness.  His  neighbor's  letter  was  produced, 
which  he  read  with  great  attention,  and  then  said,  "  My 
friend  i?  a  good  man,  and  I  always  valued  him ;  but  you 
wanted  no  other  reconmiendation  tp  my  poor  services 
than  you?  misfortunes."  ■di^^iiu^im.'i^m'Wf:^^^^^ 

They  remained  here  during  the  higiit,  after  partaking 
of  a  frugal  repast  which  their  host  had  provided,  and 
which  was  given  with  many  innoctnt  apologies  for  its 
scantiness. 


FiXmsmammiar 


tiMi 


LOSS  or  THB  AMVmCAN  SHIP  l»:-XCULKS. 


m 


kirtg 
and 
r  its 


fl^fdte  tlMir  departure  on  the  ensuing  morning;  tfie 
6Binner  generously  presented  them  with  nine  sheep.  Tiie 
poor  man  lamented  that  he  could  not  let  them  have  a 
morsel  of  hread,  '*  We  live,  (said  he,)  the  year  round 
chiefly  on  mutton  and  game,  but  seldom  enjoy  the  luxury 
of  a  loaf."  He  insisted,  however,  on  the  captain's  taking 
the  sheep,  which  he  accepted  with  many  thanks,  and 
they  then  departed  on  their  journey. 
!  During  the  four  or  five  succeeding  days,  they  travelled 
on  from  house  to  house,  generally  at  fifteen  or  sixteen 
miles'  distance  from  each  other,  and  were  received  at  all 
of  them  with  a  disinterested  4iospitality.  These  occur- 
rences are  related  with  a  scrupulous  attention  to  fidelity^ 
because  the  colonists,  without  distinction,  have  been  fre- 
quently represented  as  a  ferocious  banditti,  scarcely  to 
be  kept  within  the  pale  of  authority. 

During  several  days'  travelling  they  could  get  but  little 
bread,  and  not  much  water.  The  countries  were  alter- 
nately hill  and  dale,  aud  often  afforded  the  most  romantic 
prospects.  They  frequently  perceived  vast  quantities  of 
wolves,  and  such  droves  of  that  species  of  deer  which 
the  farmers  call  spring-buck,,  that  one  flock  alone  coultl 
not  contain  less  than  from  twelve  to  fourteen  thousand. 
Indeed  many  of  the  settlers  said  they  had  seen  double  Ihat 
number  at  one  time,  and  frequently  killed  three  at  a  sin- 
gle shot.  Our  travellers  likewise  saw  vast  quantities  of 
guinea-fowl,  which  after  a  shower  of  rain  are  easily 
caught  by  the  farmers'  dogs. 

The  zebra,  or  wild  ass,  is  common  in  these  advanced 
colonies,  and  many  of  them  were  seen.  Ostriches  were 
likewise  very  numerous.  They  had  such  plenty  of  veni- 
son at  the  houses  where  they  stopped,  that  their  stock  of 
nine  sheep,  furnished  by  honest  Englebrock,  rras  dimi- 
nished but  thice  in  the  course  of  six  days. 

From  the  8th  to  the  14th  of  July,  their  journey  was 
liot  interrupted  by  any  disagreeable  occurrence.  The 
countries  through  which  they  passed  displayed  at  ever^- 
mile  a  new  change  of  beauties.  The  mountains  were  in 
many  pla'^es  of  stupendous  height,  and  the  valleys,  deco- 
rated with  wood,  were  astonishingly  fertile  in  vegetabhr 
8 


*i&;i.-.i  Jiijat.'.!  Ik  ^-/ ' 


--v^ 


% 


ifl  ,l,a,(V   BIMAKKABLB  tlTPWRIOKI.    «m>.| 

productions.  One  of  the  most  extensive  of  these  valleys 
took  them  no  less  than  three  days  and  a  half  in  passings 
It  is  called  by  the  settlers  Long  Cluff,  and  affords,  per* 
haps,  as  many  romantic  scenes  as  can  be  found  in  any 
spot  of  the  same  extent  on  the  face  of  the  earth. 

The  hills,  for  seventy  or  eishty  miles,  run  parallel  to 
each  other.  The  lundfs  between  are  wonderfully  rich, 
and  produce  vast  quantities  of  a  plant  similar  in  its  taste 
and  smell  to  our  thyme.  On  this  fragrant  herb  are  fed 
immense  quantities  of  sheep  and  cattle ;  they  devour  it 
with  great  eagerness,  and  it  gives  the  mutton  a  flavor  so 
like  our  venison,  that  an  epicure  might  be  deceived  in 
the  taste.  The  valleys  are  generally  level,  from  four  to 
ei^ht  miles  in  breadth,  and  in  several  places  intersected 
with  rivulets,  on  the  borders  of  which  are  frequently 
perceived  whole  groves  of  the  aloe-tree. 

On  or  about  the  14th,  they  reached  the  settlement  of 
an  old  andf  blind  man.  He  had  a  large  family,  and  ap- 
peared to  possess  a  comfortable  independence.  When  he 
heard  the  story  of  the  travellers,  the  good  farmer  burst  into 
tears,  and  ordered  a  glass  of  brandy  to  be  given  to  each 
of  the  crew.  After  this  unusual  and  cheering  repast,  he 
directed  some  mutton  to  be  delivered  to  the  people,  and 
gave  them  a  pot  to  dress  it  in.  He  then  requested  the 
captain  to  mess  with  the  family,  which  was  complied 
with,  and  when  supper  was  ended,  this  worthy  creature 
said  he  was  so  pleased  with  their  escaping  the  dangers 
of  the  seas,  and  the  Caffres,  .that  he  would  celebrate  the 
meeting  with  a  song.  He  immediately  began  and  sung 
with  the  voice  of  a  Stentor.  A  general  plaudit  succeed- 
ed; and  then  the  honest  benefactor  said,  ''  Now,  captain, 
I  have  a  favor  to  ask  of  you.  Pray,  desire  all  your  peo- 
ple to  sing."  It  was  impossible  to  help  laughing  at  this 
whimsical  request;  but  it  was  thought  good-humor,  at 
such  a  moment,  should  not  be  interrupted ;  therefore  an 
rf  American  sailor  was  desired  to  sing  one  of  his  best  songs. 
-:  He.no  so<»ier  began  than  all  the  lascars  tuned  their 
5^  pipes;  this  set  agoing  the  Swedes,  Portuguese,  and 
Dutchmen,  and  all  the  crew ;  each  party  sung  in  their 
di^eient  languages,  and  at  tl^  same  time.    Siwh  a  con- 


am 


LOM  OF  THB  AMBftlOAN  SHIP  UlftGULlM.  WB 

o«rt  was  never  heard  befo*^  ,  the  hberal  atid  merry  cA 
colonist  was  so  entertained  <\  'ih  their  muttic,  that  he  had. 
nearly  dropped  froni  his  ch&ii  iu  a  fit  of  laughter. 
%  The  captain  was  provided  this  night  witli  a  sheep- 
skin, on  which  he  rested  under  the  roof  of  the  farmer's 
cottage ;  but  there  was  not  room  for  all.  and  therefore 
most  of  the  poor  fellows  were  obliged  to  oleep  in  the  air. 
A  similar  inconvenience  had  happened  m  frec^uently 
since  they  reached  the  colonies,  that  they  determmed  to 
separate. 

On  the  morniP"  of  the  17th  thjy  u^parated,  and  thm 
captain  took '  ith  nim  his  chief  and  third  mate,  together 
with  one  or  t  <«  more,  who  were  solicitoue  to  accompany) 
him.  The  country,  as  they  advanced,  increased  in  p(^ 
pulation ;  and  the  farm-houses  were,  in  several  places, 
not  more  than  two  miles'  distance  from  each  other.  Ma- 
ny of  them  were  beautifully  situated,  and  the  lands  pro- 
duced grain,  oranges,  figs,  and  lemons  in  abundance. 
Their  grapes  likewise  appeared  to  flourish,  and  supplied 
them  with  wine  and  brandies,  which  they  vr  nded  oniefiy 
at  the  Ca^pe.  Vast  herds  of  deer,  and  partridges  out  of 
all  number,  were  seen,  and  immense  tracts  of  land  co- 
vered entirely  with  aloe-trees 

From  the  17th  to  the  21st,  they  travello'  .  ssountain- 
ous  country ;  but  the  valleys  constantly  pk' j.^'tnted  farms 
and  habitations  where  the  industry  of  th«  husbandman 
was  amply  rewarded.  The  flocks  of  sheep  were  prodi- 
gious ;  but  the  cattle  were  not  so  numerous,  nor  in  such 
good  condition,  as  those  seen  in  the  more  advanced 
colonies. 

On  the  22d  they  arrived  at  Zwellings'^m,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  the  landorse-house.  The  landoi  •>  la  the  chief 
man  of  the  place,  and  his  settlement  consists  of  about 
sixteen  or  eighteen  houses,  surrounded  by  a  delightful 
country,  and  producing  grain,  vegetables  for  culinary 
pun>oses,  grapes,  and  fruits  of  almost  every  descriptiiMi. , , 

This  gentleman  gave  them  a  very  hospitable  reception^ 
and  the  next  morning  furnished  the  captain  with  a  none 
and  guide,  to  conduct  him  to  his  brother-in-law's.  That 
nothing  might  be  omitted  on  his  part  to  secure  a  favora«( 


f  '; 


n%     A1K*BL||  tlUrWKBCKb.   '*'^» 


ble  rmeptioii  at  thr  Cape,  the  captain's  worthy  h  >t*  ^ivr 
them  a  Tfr/  kind  letter  to  his  mend  ^neral  Craig,  com-* 
maiider  in  chief,  acquainting  him  with  the  loss  of  the 
ship,  end  the  miseries  endared  by  the  crew  in  their 
travels  through  the  desert.  He  also  requested  the  gene- 
ral would  do  them  every  kindness  in  his  power,  which 
he  would  acknowledge  as  an  obligati(Mi  conferred  upon 
himself. 

f  They  arrived  at  the  settlement  of  Jonannes  Brinch, 
at  Stallen  Bush,  on  the  third  or  fourth  day,  after  travel- 
ling a  country  highly  cultivated,  and  producing  immense 
forests  of  the  aloe-tree.  The  farmers  live  here  in  afflu- 
ence, and  the  crew  continued  to  experience  the  most 
liberal  and  kind  attention  during  the  remainder  of  their 
journey. 

On  their  arrival  at  Stallen  Bush,  the  captain  waited  on 
Mr.  Brinch,  whose  reception  can  never  be  mentioned  but 
in  terms  of  the  most  fervent  gratitude  and  esteem.  His 
residence  is  one  of  those  delightful  places  which,  from  its 
natural  situation  and  fertility,  wraps  the  beholder,  the 
moment  he  se«;s  it  in  a  kind  of  ecstasy.  The  vines 
there  are  rear  l  w  th  great  attention,  and  are  highly 
productive.  ".>  ruin,,  vegetation,  and  fruits,  yield  abundant 
crops ;  and  camptiov-trees  of  very  large  dimensions  thrive 
also  in  the  settlement.  Indeed,  the  whole  settlement 
seemed  to  be  so  precisely  what  it  should  be,  that  any  al- 
teration must  be  a  deformity.  The  people  here  dress  well, 
but  nearer  the  English  than  the  Dutch  style.  They  have 
nothing  of  that  sullen  taciturnity  belonging  to  the  charac- 
ter of  the  Hollander,  but  are  sprightly  and  good-humored.' 
p  "  I  remained  two  days  (says  the  captain)  under  the 
roof  of  this  liberal  and  benevolent  gentleman.  He 
pressed  me  to  stay  longer ;  but  I  was  desirous  of  reach- 
ing the  Cape,  and  therefore  declined  his  hospitable  invi- 
tation. In  the  morning,  therefore,  he  provided  me  with 
a  horse  and  guide,  and  I  took  my  departure  from  Stallen 
Bush,  on  the  30th,  in  the  morning.  Our  journey  was 
but  short,  as  we  arrived  the  same  evening  at  Uie  Cape 
of  Good  Hope;  and  although  emaciated  in  my  framoi 
yet  ia  tolerabte  health."  ^«4♦.^'M*^f*^«^*^w■;^w■■•■'*^       a)**f4*f'^ 


% 

A. 


^l^■■^C■l«^afa^lftl■l 


MiMMMiM 


m. 


fi^ 


h.i4$Ait*  KUB  ^fH 


V-     .    -  -J-...,- ^:     ;  j^      MV^  H-'rv    o-iill  *??!"-'"  ^r-^-  ".^ 


» ' ' 


it 


> 


LOSS  OP  HIS  MAJESTY'S  SfflP  U      HFIELD, 

Of  Fifty  Ovns,  on  the  Coast  of  Barbary,  t  0,  ITfiS. 
• 

The  Litchfield,  captain  Barton,  left  Ireland  on  the 
11th  of  November,  1758,  in  company  with  several  other 
men-of-war  and  transports,  under  the  command  of  com- 
modore Keppel,  intended  for  the  reduction  of  Goree. 
The  voyage  was  prosperous  till  the  29th,  when  at  eight 
in  the  evening  I  took  charge  of  the  watch,  and  the 
weather  turned  out  very  squally,  with  rain.  At  nine  it 
was  extremely  dark,  with  much  lightning,  the  wind  va- 
rying from  S.  W.  to  W.  N.  W.  At  half  past  nine,  had  a 
very  hard  squall.  Captain  Barton  can\e  upon  deck  and 
staid  till  ten ;  and  then  left  orders  to  keep  sight  of  the 
commodore,  and  make  what  sail  the  weather  would  "per- 
mit. At  eleven  saw  the  commodore  bearing  south,  but 
the  squalls  coming  on  so  heavy,  we  were  obliged  to  hand 
the  main  top-sail,  and  at  twelve  o'clock  were  under  our 
courses. 

November  30th,  at  one  in  the  morning,  I  left  the  deck 
in  charge  of  the  first  lieutenant ;  the  light,  which  we  took 
to  be  the  commodore's,  right  ahead,  bearing  S.,  wind 
W.  S.  W.,  blowing  vei-y  hard.  At  six  in  the  morning  I 
was  awaked  by  a  great  shock,  and  a  confused  noise 
of  the  men  on  deck.  I  ran  up,  thinking  some  ship  had 
run  foul  of  us,  for  by  my  own  reckoning,  and  that  of 
every  other  person  in  the  ship,  we  were  at  least  thirty- 
five  leagues  distant  from  land ;  but,  before  I  could  reach 
the  quarter-deck,  the  ship  gave  a  great  stroke  upon  the 
ground,  and  the  sea  broke  over  her.  Just  after  this  I 
could  perceive  the  land,  rocky,  rugged  and  uneven,  about 
two  cables'  length  from  uu.  The  ship  lying  with  hor 
broadside  to  windward,  the  masts  soon  went  overboard. 


>; 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


M:- 


'.fit^  : 


1.0 


I.I 


Ijg  ^^"    ■■■ 
>tt  Uii   12.2 

2.0 


its 

lU 
u 


1*0 


l^iJ4iiy4 


Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBST2R,N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4S03 


\ 


k^' 


5V 


<^ 


;V 


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.  f 


W  Mm>    KSMiJUCABLK  8HIPWKBCK8. 

CETrying  some  men  with  them.  It  is  impossible  for  any 
but  a  sufferer  to  feel  our  distress  at  this  time ;  the  masts, 
yards,  and  sails  hanging  alongside  in  a  confused  heap ; 
the  ship  beating  violently  upon  the  rocks ;  the  waves 
curling  up  to  an  incredible  height,  then  dashing  down 
with  such  force  as  if  they  would  immediately  have  split 
the  ship  to  pieces,  which  we,  indeed,  every  moment  ex- 
pected. Having  a  little  recovered  from  our  confusion, 
we  saw  it  necessary  to  get  every  thing  we  could  or^  |o^ 
the  larboard  side,  to  prevent  the  ship  from'  heeling  off, 
and  exposing  the  deck  to  the  sea.  Some  of  the  people 
were  very  earnest  to  get  the  boats  out,  contrary  to  ad- 
vice ;  and,  after  much  entreaty,  notwithstanding  a  most 
terrible  sea,  one  of  the  bgats  was  launched,  and  eight  of 
the  best  men  jumped  into  her;  but  she  had  scarcely  got 
to  the  ship's  stem  when  she  was  hurled  to  the  bottom, 
and  every  soul  in  her  perished.  The  sest  of  the  boats 
were  soon  wae^odlo  piecea  en  the  deck.  We  thea 
made  a  raft  with  the  davit,  capstan-bars,  and  some 
boards,  and  waited  with  resignation  for  Providence  to 
aeunst  us.  The  ship  soon- filled  with  water,  so  that  we 
had  no  time  to  get  any  provisions  up;  the  quarter-deck 
and  poop  were  now  the  only  plac^  we  could  stand  upon 
with  security,  the  waves  being  mostly  spent  by  the  time 
they  reached  us,  owing  to  their.  lirc»i^Kuig  over  the  {qt», 
part  of  the  ship.  »  y^_. 

jl  At  four  in  the  afternoon,  perceiving  the  sea  to  be  much 
eUMited,  one  of  our  people  attempted  to  swim,  and  got 
safe  on  shore.  There  were  numbers  of  Moors  upon  the 
rocks  ready  to  take  hold  of  any  one,  and  beckoned  much 
for  us  to  come  ashore,  which,  at  first,  we  took  for  kind- 
ness ;  butihey  soon  undeceived  us,  for  they  had  not  the 
humaqity  to  assist  any  that  was  entirely  naked,  but 
would  fly  to  those  who  had  any  thing  about  them,  and 
.stlS^'^  them  before  they  were^uite  out  of  the  water, 
wrang^g  among  themselves  s^ut  the  plunder.  In  the 
mean  time  the  poor  wretches  were  left  to  crawl  up  tl;« 
rocks  if  they  were  able,  if  not,  they  perished  unregarded. 
The  second  lieutenant  and  myself  with  about  sixty-five 
Others,  got  ashore  before  dark,  but  were  left  exposed  to 


.:». 


'■/■^''JS'k'  ■ 


L0B8  OF  BIS  MAJBSTY's  SHIP  LITOHFIBLO. 


the  treatber  <m  fhe  cold  sand.  To  presennre  otindlveff 
from  perishing  of  cold,  we  were  obliged  to  go  down  to 
the  shore,  and  to  bring  up  pieces  of  the  wreck  to  make  a 
fire.  While  thus  employed,  if  .we  happened  to  pick  up 
a  shirt  or  handkerchief,  and  did  not  give  it  to  the  Moot» 
at  the  first  demand,  the  next  thing  was  a  dagger  pre- 
sented to  our  breasts. 

They  allowed  us  a  piece  of  an  old  sail,  which  they 
did  not  t^k  worth  carrying  off:  with  this  we  made 
two  tents,  and  crowded  ourselves  into  them,  sitting  be- 
tween one  another's  legs  to  preserve  warmth,  and  make' 
room.  In  this  uneasy  situation,  continually  bewailing 
our  misery,  and  that  of  our  poor  shipmates  on  the  wreck, 
we  passed  a  most  tedious  night,  without  so  much  as  a' 
drop  of  water  to  refresh  ourselves,  excepting  what  we 
caught  through  our  sail-cloth  covering. 

Nov^nber  30th,  at  six  in  the  morning,  wait  down 
with  a  number  of  our  m^  lipon  the  rocks,  to  assist  our 
shipmates  incoming  ashore,  and  found  the  ship  had  been 
greatly  cdiattered  in  the  night.    It  being  now  low  water, 
many  attempted  to  swim  ashore;   some  arrived,  but 
others  perished.    The  people  on  board  got  the  raft  into 
the  water,  and  about  fifteen  men  placed  tibiemselves  upon 
it    They  had  no  sooner  put  off  from  the  wreck  than  it* 
overturned ;  most  of  them  recovered  again,  but  scarcely' 
were  they  on,  before  it  was  a  second  time  overtumea.i 
Only  three  or  four  got  hold  of  it  again,  and  all  the  rest' 
perished.    In  the  mean  time,  a  good  swimmer  brought . 
with  much  difficulty  a  rope,  which  I  had  -the  good  ioT'* 
tune  to  catch  hold  of,  just  when  he  was  quite  spent,  and^ 
had  thoughts  of  quitting  it    Some  people  coming  to  my- 
assistance,  we  pulled  a  large  rope  ashore  with  that,  and' 
made  it  fast  round  a  rock.    We  found  this  gave  great 
spirits  to  the  poor  souls  upon  the  wreck ;  for,  it  bBing' 
hauled  taught  from  the  upper  part  of  the  stem,  made  an 
easy  descent  to  any  who  had  art  enough  to  walk  or  sli(]te 
upon  a  rope,  with  a  smaller  rope  fixed  above  to  hold  by. 
This  dvas  the  jneans  of  saying  a  number  of  lives,,  though 
many  were  wash^  off  by  the  impetuous  surf,  and  pe-  > 
rished.    The  flood  coming  on,  raised  the  surf,  and  pn^  \ 


•' 


V:- 


m 


AMVit  WmMMMMMB  IHIFirKBOIB. 


moA 


ir 


1^ 


Tented  any  more  from  coming  at  ^at  time,  so  that  the 
lopes  could  \m  of  no  further  use.  We  then  retired  from 
the  rocks ;  and  hunger  prevailing,  we  set  about  broiling 
•ome  of  the  drowned  turkeys,  &c.  which,  with  some  flour 
mixed  into  a  paste,  and  baked  upon  the  coals,  constitut- 
ed our  first  meal  up(m  this  barbarous  coast  We  found 
a  well  of  fresh  water  about  half  a  mile  off,  which  very 
much  refreshed  us.  But  we  had  scarcely  finished  this 
coarse  repast,  wh«i  the  Moors,  who  were  now  grown 
numerous,  drove  us  all  down  to  the  rocks  to  bring  up 
empty  iron-bound^touAs,  pieces  of  the  wreck  which  had 
the  most  iron  aboutriha:n,  and  other  articles. 

About  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  made  another 
meal  on  the  drowned  poultry,  and  finding  (hat  this  wss 
the  best  provision  we  were  likely  to  have,  some  were 
ordered  to  save  all  they  could  find,  o^ers  to  raise  a 
larger  tent,  and  the  lest  sent  down  to  the  rocks  to  look 
for  people  coming  ashore.  The  surf  greatly  increasing 
wi^  the  flood,  and  breaking  upon  the  fore  part  of  the 
ship)  she  was  divided  into  three  parts;  the  fore  pari 
turned  keel  up,  the  middle  part  soon  dashed  into  a  thou- 
sand pieces ;  the  fore  part  of  the  poop  likewise  fell  at  this 
time,,  and  about  thirty  men  with<^it,  eight  f"  whom  got 
ashore  with  our  help,  but  so  bruised  that  despaired 
of  their  recovery.  Nothing  but  the  aftei  ^art  of  the 
poop  now  remained  above  water,  and  a  very  small  part 
of  the  other  decks,  on  which  our  captain,  and  about  one 
hundred  and  thirty  more,  remained,  expecting  every' wave 
to  be  their  last.  Every  shock  trirew  some  off;  few  or 
mme  of  whom  came  on  shore  alive.  During  this  dis- 
tress, the  Moors  laughed  uncommonly,  and  seemed  much 
diverted  when  a  wave,  larger  than  usual,  threatened 
the  destructi(m  of  the  poor  wretches  on  the  wreck.  Be- 
tweeaa.  four  and  five  o'clock  the  sea  was  much  decreased 
with  the  ebb:  the  rope  being  ctill  secure,  the  people  be-^ 
gan  to  venture  upon  it;  some  tumbled  off  and  perished, 
but  others  reached  the  shore  in  safety. 

About  five,  we  beckoned  as  much  as  possible  for  the 
captain  to  come  upon  the  rope,  as  this  seemed  to  be  ai 
HOod  an  opportunity  as  any  we  had  seen;  and  many 


LOSS  07  HU  KIIHTT'i  9BBf  UVCBFIBLD. 


arrived  in  safety  with  our  assistance.  Some  toM  us 
that  the  captain  was  determined  lo  stay  till  ail  the  mtti 
had  quitted  the  wreek;  however,  we  still  eontuiued  to 
beckooL  for  him,  and  before  it  was  ikurk  saw  him  come 
upmi  the  rope.  He  was  closely  fi>Uowed  by  a  good  aUe 
seamaii,  who  did  idl  he  could  to  keep  up  his  spirits  and 
assist  him  in  warping.  As  he  could  not  swim,  and  had 
been  so  many  hours  without  refreshment,  w&th  the  surf 
hurling  him  violently  along,  he  was  unable  to  resist  the 
force  of  the  waves,  had  lost  his  hold  of  the  great'  rope, 
and  must  inevitably  have  perished,  had  not  a  wave 
thrown  him  within  Uie  reach  of  our  imes^wiiieh  he  had 
barely  sufEUsient  sense  to  catch  hoM  stLr.^e  pulled Jiim 
up,  and  after  resting  a  short  time  on  tiia  ioeks,  he  eune 
to  himself,  and  walked  up  to  the  tent,  desiring  us  to  con- 
tinue to  assist  the  rest  of  tlie  people  in  coming  on  shore. 
The  villains,  the  Moors,  would  have  sflripped  him,  though . 
he  had .  nothing  on  but  a  plain  waistcoat  and  breeches, 
if  we  had  not  plucked  up  a  little  spirit  and  opposed  them ; 
upon  which  ^ey  thought  proper  to  desist  The  people 
continued  to  come  ashore,  though  many  perished  in  the 
attempt.  The  Moors,  at  length,  growmg  tired  with 
waiting  for  so  little  plunder,'  would  not  suffer  us  to  re- 
main on  the  rocks,  but  drove  us  all  away.  1  then,  with 
the  captain's  api»robation;  went,  and  by  sigiis  made  hum- 
ble supplication  to  the  bashaw,  who  was  in  the  tent  di- 
viding the  valuable  plunder.  He  understood  us  at  last, 
aud  gave  us  permission  td  go  down,  at  the  same  time 
sendii^;  some  Moors  with  us.  We  carried  firebrands 
down  to  let^e  poor  souls  on  the  wreck  see  that  we  were 
still  there  in  readiness  to  assist  them.  About  jime  at 
night,  finding  that  no  more  m^i  would  venture  upon  the 
rope,  as  the  surf  was  agam  greatly  increased,  wc  retired 
to  the  tent,  leaving,  by  the  accmmt  of  tiie  last  man  that 
arrived,  between  thirty  and  forty  souls  upcm  the  wreck. 
We  now  thought  of  stowing  every  body  in  the  tent,  and 
t>egan  by  fixing  the  captain  in  the  middle;  then  made 
every  man  lie  down  on  his  side,  as  we  could  not  aUbid 
them  each  a  breadth j  Init,  after  all,  many  took  easkir 
lodgings  in  empty  casks,  ^trnms  im^f^  ^m-^  minm  ,  i:vmAimk 


t- 


i 


'■% 


.OMSmmMMAMEABLE    VUPWRWUKm      ^>%01 


?    The  next  morning  the  weather  was  moderate  and  fair. 
'fWe  found  the  wreck  all  in  pieces  on  the  rocks,  and  the 
dioie  covered  with  lumber.    The  peop4e  upon  the  wreck 
idl  perished  about  (me  in  the  mommg.    In  the  afternoon 
WB  called  a  muster,  and  found  tlie  number  of  the  survi- 
vors to  be  two  hund^»d  and  twenty ;  so  that  one  hundred 
^and  thirty  perished  on  this  melancholy  occsunon. 
r  On  the  2d  of  December,  the  weather  still  continued 
'moderate.    We  subsisted  totirely  on  the  drowned  stock, 
^^and  a  little  pork  to  relish  it,  and  the  flour  made  into 
^cakes ;  all  of  which  we  issued  regularlv  and  sparingly, 
'ffoeing  ignorant  whether  the  Moors  would  furnish  us  with 
iany  thing,  they  bemg  still  very  troublesome,  and  even 
5  wanting  to  rob  us  of  the  canvass  which  covered  our  tent. 
'  At  two  in  the  afternoon  a  black  servant  arrived,  sent  by 
^  Mr.  BnUer,  a  Dane,  factor  to  the  American  Company 
at  Saflfy,  a  town  fAlfae  distance  of  about  thirty  miles,  to 
inquire  into  our  c<Midition  and  to  offer  us  assistance. 
The  nian  having  brought  pens,  iiik  and  paper,  the  cap- 
tain sent  back  a  letter  by  him.     Finding  there  was  one 
who  aSeted  us  help,  it  greatly  refreshed  our  afflicted 
->faearts. 

'^'-■i    In  the  afternoon  of  the  following  day  we  received  a 

""rietter  from  Mr.  Butler,  with  some  bread,  and  a  few  other 

-necessaries.    On  the  4th  the  people  were  employed  in 

^-picking  up  pieces  of  sails,  and  whatever  else  the  Moors 

.would  permit  them.    We  divided  the  c^rew  into  messes, 

'  «nd  served  the  necessaries  we  received  the  preceding 

Mby.     They  had  bread,  and  the  flesh  of  the  drowned 

'ffltock.    In  the  afternoon  we  received  another  letter  from 

'jMr.  Bytler,  and  one  at  the  same  time  from.  Mr.  Andrews, 

%'ma.  Irish  g^tleman,  a  n^rchant  atSafly.    The  Moors 

'fwere  not  so  troublesome  now  as  before,  most  of  them 

%gOing  off  with  what  they  had  got. 

'^'.     On  the  5th  the  drowned  stock  was  entirely  consumed, 

and  at  k>w  water  the  people  were  employed  in  ccdlecting 

muscles.    At  ten  in  me  morning  Mr.  Andrews  arrived, 

jbringing  a  French  surgeon  with  medicines  and  plasters, 

id  which  some  of  the  men,  who  had  been  dreadlully 

bruised,  stood  in  great  need.     The  following  day  we 


LOSS  or  Hit  HAjnmr's  spir  LrfCHFisLD. 


serred  out  one  of  the  blankets  of  the  country  to  erery 
two  men,  and  pampooses,  a  kind  of  slippers,  to  those 
who  were  in  most  want  of  them.  These  supplies  were 
likewise  brought  us  by  Mr.  Andrews.  The  people  were 
now  obliged  to  live  upon  muscles  and  bread,  the  Moon, 
who  promiwBd  us  a  supply  of  cattle,  having  deceived  us, 
and  never  returned. 

,  The  people  on  the  7th  were  still  employed  in  collect- 
ing muscles  and  limpets.  The  Moors  began  to  be  a  lit- 
tle civil  to  us,  for  fear  the  emperor  should  punish  them 
for  their  cruel  treatment  to  us.  In  the  afternoon  a  mes- 
senger arrived  from  the  emperor  at  Sallee,  with  gmieral 
orders  to  the  people  to  supply  us  with  provisions.  Hiey 
accordingly  brought  us  some  lean  bullocks  and  sheep, 
which  Mr.  Andrews  purchased  for  us ;  but  at  this  time 
we  had  no  pots  to  make  broth  in,  and  the  cattle  were 
scarcely  fit  wr  any  thing  else.  .  j  .i>  » 

In  the  morning  of  the  tOth  we  made  pre^pafations  for 
marching  to  Morocco,  the  emperor  having  sent  orders  finr 
that  purpose,  and  camels  to  carry  the  lame  and  the  ne- 
cessaries. At  nine,  set  off  with  about  thirty  camels, 
having  got  all  our  liquor  with  us,  divided  into  hogs- 
heads, ic^  the  convenience  of  camiage  on  the  camels.  At 
noon,  joined  the  crews  of  one  of  the  transports,  and  a 
bomb-tender,  that  had  been  wrecked  about  three  leagues 
to  the  nordiward  of  us.  We  were  then  all  mounted 
upcm  camels,  excepting  the  captain,  who  was  furnished 
with  a  horse.  We  never  stopped  till  sevmi  in  the  eve- 
ning, when  they  procured  us  two  tents  cmly,  which 
would  not  contain  one  third  of  tl^e  men,  so  that  most  ti 
them  lay  exposed  to  the  dew,  which  was  very^cavy, 
and  extremely  cold.  We  found  our  whole  number  to  be 
three  hundred  and,,thirty*«ight,  including  officers^  men, 
boys,  and  thr^  women  and  a  child,  whk^one  of  llie  wo- 
men brought  ashore  in  her  teeth. 

On  the  1 1th  continued  our  journey,  attended  by  a 
number  of  Moors  on  horseback.  At  six  in  the  evening 
we  came  to  our  resting-place  for  tiiat  night,  and  were 
furnished  with  tents  sufficient  to  cover  att  our  men. 

At  five  in  the  m6ming  of  the  12th,  we  set  out  as  b»- 


#:; 


■••j^h  '-W      I 


wtMAmuMM  mnrwKumm 


I 


I' 


fwe,  and,  at  two  in  the  afternoon,  saw  the  empevor'n 
cavalcade  at  a  distance.  At  three,  a  relation  of  the  em- 
peror's, named  Muli  Adrix,  came  to  us,  and  told  the 
captain  it  was  tlie  emperor's  orders  he  should  that  in- 
stant write  a  letter  to  our  goyemor  at  Gibraltar,  to  send 
to  his  Britannic  inajesty  to  inquire  whether  he  would 
settle  a  peace  wiUi  him  or  not.  Captain  Barton  imme- 
diately sat  down  upon  the  grass  and  wrote  a  letter, 
idiicb,  being  given  to  Muli  Adrix,  he  went  and  joined 
the  emperor  again.  At  six  in  the  evening  came  to  our 
restingtplace  for  the  night,  and  were  well  lumished  with 
tents,  but  very  little  provisions. 

We  were,  me  following  day,  desired  to  continue  on 
the  same  spot,  till  the  men  were  refreshed,  and  this  re- 
pose they  greatly  needed,  and  we  received  a  better  sup- 
ply of  provisions.  That  morning  lieutenant  fiUrrison, 
commanding  thei  'soldiers  belonging  to  lord  Forbes'  re- 
giment, died  suddenly  in  the  tent.  In  the  evming,  while 
employed  with  his  interment,  ^o  inhuman  Moors  dis- 
turbed us  by  throwing  stones  and  mocking  us.  The 
next  day  we  found  that  they  had  opened  the  grave  and 
stmiped  the  body. 

(M  the  16th  we  continued  our  journey,  came  to  oui 
restmg-place  at  four  in  the  afternoon,  pitched  the  tents, 
and  served  out  the  provisions.  Here  our  people  were 
ill-treated  by  some  of  the  country  Moors.  As  they  were 
taking  water  frotti  a  brook,  the  Moors  would  always  spit 
into  me  vessel  before  tiiie^  would  suffer  than  to  take  it 
away.  Upon  this  some  ol  us  went  down  to  inquire  into 
the  affair,  but  wero  immediately  saluted  with  a  shower 
of  stqpes.  We  ran  inupcxi  them,  beat  some  of  them 
prftty  soundly,  put  them  to  flight,  and  brought  away 
one,  who  thought  to  defend  himself  with  a  long  knife 
This  fellow  was  severely  punished  by  the  officer  who 
had  the  charge  of  conducting  us. 
'  The  twa  Succeeding  days  continued  our  journey,  and, 
at'  three  in  the  afternoon  of  the  18th,  arrived  at  We  city 
of  Moffocco,  withotit  having  serai  a  single  habitation 
during  the  whole  journey.  Here  we  were  insulted  by 
th^^rau^Ue,  and,  at  five,  were  carried  beiiMe  the  emptaor, 


h        * 


''<k 


LOSS  or  nt  MAOtTT't  SHIP  XIIOHFIBLD. 


imnoiiiided  by*  fiivt«  or  six  hundred  of  his  guatds.    Bb 

(Was  on  hofseoack  before  the  gate  of  his  palaoe,  that  b»> 
ing  the  place  where  he  distrioutes  justice  to  his  people. 

•Ue  told  captain  Barton,  by  an  interpreter,  that  he  was 
neither  at  peace  nor  war  with  England,  and  he  would 
detain  us  tul  aa  ambassador  arriyea  fitom  that  eountry  to 

,  eondude  A  permanent  ,ire«tf .  The  captain  then  deaired 
that  we  might  not  be  treated  as  slaves.  He  answered 
hastily,  that  we  sliould  be  taken  care  oil  We  were  then 
immediately  hurried  out  of  his  presence,  conveyed  to 
two  old  nunoUs  houses,  shut  up  amidst  dirt  sind  innu- 

.morable  vermin  of  every  description.    Mr.  Boiler  being 

rat  Morocco  oa  business,  came  and  supplied  us  with 
victuals  and  drink,  and  procured  liberty  tor  the  captl^n 
to  go  home  widi  lum  to  nis  lodgings.  He  likewise  sent 
some  blankets  for  the  officers,  and  we  made  shifH  to 
pass  the  night  with  tolerable  comfort,  being  Very  much 
uttigued.  It 

.  At  nine  in  the  morning  of  ihe  21st,  the  emperor  sent 
orders  for  the  captain  and  every  officer  to  ai^e«ur  befotei 
him.  We  immediately  repsuired  to  his  pauiGe*,  we  re- 
mained waiting  in  an  outer  yard  two  hours :  in.me  mean 
time  he  diverted  himself  with  seeing  a  clumsy  Dutch 
boat  rowed  about  in  a  pond  by  four  of  our  petty  officers. 
About  noon  we  were  called  before  him,  and  placed  in  a 
line  about  thirty  yards  from  himu  He  was  sittjx^g  in  a 
chair  by  the  side  of  the  pond,  accompanied  ouk,  Vy  two 
of  his  chief  alcaids.  Having  viewed  us  some '  tljie,  he 
ordered  the  captain  to  come  forward,  and  after  asking 
him  a  good  many  questions  concerning  our  navy,  and 
destination  of  the  squa<hron  to  which  we  had  belonged, 
we  were  also  callied  forward  by  two  and  three  at  a  time 
as  we  stood  according  to  our  rank.  He  then  asked  most 
of  us  some  very  insignificant  questions,  and  took  some 
to  be  Portuguese  because  they  had  black  hair,  and 
others  to  be  Swedes  because  their  hair  was  light  He 
judged  none  of  us  to  be  English  excepting  the  cantain, 
the  second  lieutenant,  the  ensign  of  the  soldiers,  ana  fiiy- 

:  self.  But  assuring  him  we  inhere  all  English,  he  cried 
Bohno,  and  gave  a  nod  for  our  departure,  to  wliicfa  we 


i 


.a. 


■IMilllWJ 


•§,-■'>    AiMXI 


wturiMd  a  Terjr  low  b0#,  uid  iftm  flad  to  Mtnm  to  ow 
•eld  ruined  lioiises  again.  Our  total  number  amounted  lo 
tbirtyf 

On  the  SSth,  being  Christmas  day,  prayerp  w ^ne  read 
to  the  people  as  usual  in  the  church  of  England  The 
captain  tlus  day  leceired  a  present  of  tea  and  loayes  of 
sugar  from  one  of  the  queens,  whose  gra^dfatlMr  had 
been  an  Bnolish  renegaw)* 

In  the  afternoon  el  the  S6th  we  reeeiiped  the  disa^ 
greeable  intelligence  that  the  emperor  would  oblige  all 
the  Ebglish  to  work,  like  all  the  othei  Christian  slaves, 
ezoepting  the  officers  irho  were  before  him  on  the  21st. 
The  next  day  this  account  was  confirmed ;  for,  at  seven 
in  the  morning,  an  akaid  came  and  ordered  all  our 
people  to  work,  excepting  the  sick.  Upon  our  ajmlica- 
tion,  eight  were  allowed  to  stay  at  home  overy  day  to 
cook  for  the  rest,  and  this  office  was  performed  by  turns 
throughout  the  whole  company.  At  four  in  the  after- 
noon the  people  returned,  some  having  been  employed 
in  carrying  wood,  some  in.  turning  up  the  ground  with 
hoes,  and  others  in  picking  weeds  in  the  emperor's  gar- 
don.  Tjheir  victuals  was  prepared  for  them  against  their 
return. 

On  the  39th,  all  the  peo]Je  went  to  work  as  soon  as 
they  could  see,  and  returned  at  four  in  the  afteriKMm. 
Two  of  the  soldiers  received  one  hundred  bastinadoes 
each,  for  bdiavin^  in  a  di8re^)ectful  mann«r  while  the 
emperor  was  looking  at  their  work. 

On  the  90th,  captain  Barttm  received  a  kind  message 
from  the  emperor,  with  permission  to  ride  out  or  take  a 
walk  in  his  garden  with  his  officers. 

From  thb  time  the  men  oontinued  in  the  same  state 
of  slavery  till  the  arri /al,  in  April,  of  captain  Milbank, 
mat  as  an  ambassador  to  the  emperor.  He  concluded  a 
treaty  for  the  ransom  ol'  the  crew  of  the  Litchfield,  to- 
gether with  the  other  Ekiglish  subjects  in  the  emperor's 
Swer,  and  the  sum  stipulated  to  be  paid  for  their  re- 
Ise  was  one  himdred  and  seventy  thousand  dollars. 
Our  people  aocoardinfi^  set  out  for  S^lee,  attended  by  a 
bashaw  and  two  scwoben  on  horseback.    On  the  fourth 


If' 


LOM  or  Bn  lUJIITT't  ODP  LITOiriBLD. 


JM 
^ 


I  to 
ntedto 

ff«  rtad 
.    The 

RYM  of 

Mr  had 


le 
blige  all 

alavet, 
he  81it. 
It  ■eTcn 

all  oHr 
amilica- 
-  day  to 
Vf  turns 
m  aitar- 
nployed 
ind  with 
br's  gar- 

Mt  their 

soon  as 
temoon. 
inadoes 
ile  the 


day  of  their  maich  thev  had  a  skirmish  with  some  of 
the  country  Moors.  The  dispute  began  in  consequence 
of  some  ot  our  men  in  the  rear  stopping  at  a  Tillage  to 
buy  some  milk,  for  which,  after  they  had  drank  it,  the 
Moors  diwfiandiwd  an  ezorbitaiU  priee.  Tlpit  QW  nen 
refused  "id  rIt^,  on  which  the  Moors  had  recourse  to 
blows,  whicn  our  peopU  raliUrnid;  and  others  coming  to 
tlieir  assistance,  they  maintained  a  smart  battle,  till  the 
enemy  became  too  numerotti.  In  the  mMh  time  some 
rode  off  to  call  the  guard,  who  instantly  came  up  with 
their  drawn  aeimetars,  Old  deall  round  theitt  jpir«tty 
briskly.  During  this  interral  we  were  not  idle/  and  hyd 
the  pleisufe  ttf  see  the  blood  trickling  dolim  a  good  many 
of  their  faces.  The  niasds  seized  the  chief  inali  of  the 
village,  and  canned  mm  beibre  die  bashaw,  who  was  our 
conductor,  and  wIm,  having  heard  the  cause,  dismissed 
him  without  fiirther  punishment,  in  consideration  of  hl^ 
having  been  well  dnibbed  by  us. 

On  the  sad  of  April  we  arrived  at  Bailee,  and  pitched 
our  tents  in  in  old  caetle.  from  whence  we  soon  after- 
wards embarked  on  board  the  Gibraltar,  which^landed 
us  at  Oibsakar  on  the  9Tth  of  June.  From  th&t  place 
the  captain  and  crew  were  put  on  board  the  If  arlborckigh 
etoie  nup,  piepared  expressly  for  their  reception,  and  l^^ 
rived  in  fingluid  in  the  month  of  August,  lT6D. 


/I 


lessage 
take  a 

le  state 

kilbank, 

lluded  a 

|eld,  to- 

jiperor's 

leir  re- 

lollars. 

pdby  a 

fourth 


if 

ttfff  ''■■     ■ 


■  \ihtm 


'        v?^ 


'    LOeS  OF  THC  PORTUGUESE  TESSfiL  THE 

r'^'"'""".'  OT..JAMES.""-      ■ 


«>.. 


nil 


Cy  she  Coast  of  Africa,  in  1596.  i^«»^ 


>   ili  '•  <•■: 


,    In  the  month  of  May,  1586,  intelligeiiee  wm  teceiyed 

;Bt  06ft- of  th«  loss  of  the  admiral's  snip,  the  St.  James. 

'The  account  of  this  disaster  stated,  that  after  doubline 
the  cape  of  Good  Hope,  the  captain,  conceiving  he  had 
neither  rocks  nor  other  dangers  to  dread,  proceeded  un- 
der 4ull  sail,  without  observmg  his  charts,  or  at  least  not 
with,  the  attention  he  ought.  Having  a  tavorable  wind, 
he  made  much  way  in  a  short  time,  out  was  driven  out 

^of  his  course  towards  tho  rocks  called  Bassas  de  India, 
distant  about  fifty  leagues  from  the  island  of  Madagas- 
car, and  seventy  from  the  continent 

Perceiving  they  were  so  near  these  rocks,  and  in  im- 
mi^6nt  danger  of  striking  upon  them,  several  of  the  pas- 
sengers, w1k>  had  frequently-  traversed  those  seas,  were 
much  alarmed.  They  reivesented  to  the  captain,  that 
being  in  the  midst  of  the  rocks,  it  was  extremely  danger- 
ous to  suffer  the  ehip  to  run  under  full  sail,  particularly 
durine  the  night,  and  in  a  season  when  tempests  were 
very  urequent.  The  captain,  regardless  of  their  prudent 
remonstrances,  exerted  his  authorilyi  ordered  the  pilots 
to  follow  his  commands,  adding,  that  the  king's  com- 
mission entitled  him  to  obedience,  and  that  his  opinion 
ought  to  be  taken  in  preference.  However,  between 
eleven  and  twelve  o'clock  the  same  night  the  vessel  was 
driven  towards  the  rocks,  and  struck  without  a  possibi- 
lity of  being  got  off.  A  confused  cry  of  distress  resound- 
ed, in  every  direction,  from  a  multitude  composed  of 
above  five  hundred  men  and  thirty  women,  who,  having 
no  other  prospect  before  their  eyes  but  inevitable  de- 
struction, bewailed  their  fieite  with  the  bitterest  lamenta« 


'*^:. 


'.^ 


^Mm«^m^' 


■*«P«v 


were 


^,.W>Ji-i   .   . 


■sslw   j^ 


felt*' 


>.,^^- 


'*f$f*'  "^  #^'  -  V 


f. 


"*^ 


•*V.#»i;?  :lsf;^3aiii%lir^-'mM:?^3%)*:i?  -;:*-:'^ 


S: 


\\ 


0'- 


-'■*i*to 


*.»■*.*  .  .  rfi».       ,  .  ^  ;■ 


riA" 


|if|i- 


,% 


> .'  '•*  *-,v-i.»'"''4'r 


¥ 


,'*' 


■  i 


•,.*' 


^tTW- 


..'.•:»f  i'-t  ■•V- 


#' 


''■i^'ii:jt%:}&ii::- 


LOSS  OF  THB  POlTINnJSSB  VS8SBL  THB  ST.  JAMES.      lOt 

tjons.  Every  effort  to  saye  the  ship  proved  ineffectual^ 
The  admiral,  Fernando  Mendoza,  the  captain,  the  first 
pilot,  and  ten  or  twelve  other  persons,  instantly  threw 
themselves  into  the  boat,  saying  they  would  seek  upon 
the  rocks  a  proper  place  for  collecting  the  wreck  of  the 
ship,  with  which  they  might  afterwards  construct  a  ves- 
sel large  enough  to  convey  the  whole  of  the  crew  to  the 
continent  MVith  this  view  they  actually  landed-on  the 
rock,  but  being  unable  to  find  a  spot  proper  for  the  exe- 
cution of  their  design,  they  did  not  think  proper  to  re- 
turn to  the  ship,  but  resolved  to  steer  towards  the  African 
coast.  Some  provisions  which  had  been  thrown  in  haste 
into  the  boat  were  distz-ibuted  among  them ;  they  then 
directed  their  course  towards  the  continent  of  Africa, 
where  they  arrived  in  safety,  after  a  voyage  of  seventeen 
days,  and  enduring  all  the  horrors  of  famine  and  tem-^ 

pestuous  weather.    <*:>*! 

Those  who  remained  on  board,  finding  that  the  boat 
did  not  return,  began  to  despair  of  saving  their  lives. 
To  add  to  their  distress,  the  vessel  parted  between  the 
two  decks,  and  the  pinnace  was  much  damaged  by  the 
repeated  shocks  she  sustained  from  the  fury  of  the  wa  res. 
The  workmen,  though  very  expert,  despaired  of  being 
able  to  repair  her,  when  an  Italian,  named  Oypriano  Gri- 
maldi,  leaped  into  her,  accompcthied  by  ninety  of  the 

rew,  and,  assisted  by  most  of  those  who  had  followed 
instantly  fell  to  work  to  put  her  into  a  condition 
to^keep  the  sea. 

^pThose  who  could  not  get  on  board  the  pinnace  beheld 
hOT  bearing  away  froni  the  wreck  with  tears  and  lamen- 
tations. Several  who  could  swim  threw  themselves  into 
the  sfiMi,  in  the  hope  of  overtaking  her ;  and  some  were 
on  the  point  of  getting  on  board,  when  their  more  fortu- 
nate comrades,  fearing  they  should  be  sunk  with  the 
weight  of  all  those  who  endeavored  to  obtain  admittance, 
pushed  them  back  into  the  sea,  and  with  their  sabres 
and  hatchets  cut,  without  mercy,  the  hands  of  such  as 
would  not  quit  their  hold.  It  is  impossible  to  describe  > 
the  anguish  of  those  who  remaii^d  on  the  floating  frag-^ 
ments  of  the  wreck,  and  witnessed  this  barbarous  scoie 


-«(rr-  {, 


■*»>•'■ 


f 


m 


.tT'T^Al 


i«ma»kaw;b  KBttiniKct^^ii"  '^'^  s'?^^^* 


dMitig  themselTes  cut  off  from  evory  resource,  their  criasi 
and  lamentations  would  haye  melted  the  hafliest  heart. 
The  situation  of  those  in  the  pinnace  was  not  much  bet- 
ter; their  great  number,  the  want  of  provisions,  theii 
distance  from  the  land,  and  the  bad  condition  of  the  cra- 
zy- bark  that  bore  them,  contributed  to  fill  ihem  with 
gloomy  presentiments.  Some  of  the  most  resolute,  how- 
ever, to  prevent  the  anarchy  and  confusion  which  would 
have  aggravated  their  misery,  proposed  to  their  compa- 
nions to  submit  to  the  authority  of  a  captain.  To  this 
they  all  agreed,  and  immediately  chose  a  nobleman  of 
Portuguese  extraction,  but  bom  in  India,  to  command 
them,  investing  him  with  absolute  power.  He  instantly 
employed  his  authority,  in  causing  the  weakest,  whom 
he  merely  pointed  out  with  his  finger,  to  be  thrown  over- 
j[)oard.  In  the  number  of  these  was  a  carpenter,  who 
had  assisted  in  repairing  the  pinnace ;  the  only  favor  he 
requested  was  a  little  wine,  after  which  he  suffered  him- 
self to  be  thrown  into  the  sea  without  uttering  a  word. 
Another,  who  was  proscribed  in  the  same  manner,  was 
saved  by  an  uncommcm  exertion  of  fraternal  affection^ 
He  was  already  seized  and  on  the  point  of  being  sacri^ 
ficed  to  imperious  necessity,  when  his  younger  brother 
demanded  a  moment's  delay.  He  observed  that  his 
brother  was  skilful  in  his  profession,  that  his  father  and 
mo^er  were  very  old,  and  his  sisters  not  yet  settled 
life ;  that  he  could  not  be  of  that  service  to  them  whi 
his  brother  might,  and,  as  circumstances  required  ti 
sacrifice  of  one  of  the  two,  he  begged  to  die  in  his  st 
Hit  request  was  complied  with,  and  he  was  accordin 
thrown  into  the  sea.  But  this  courageous  youth  fol- 
loweu  the  bark  upwards  of  six  hours,  making  inowsant 
efforts  to  get  on  board,  sometimes  on  one  side,  and  some- 
times on  the  other,  while  those  who  had  thrown  him 
over  endeavored  to  keep  him  off  with  their  swords.  But 
that  which  appeared  likely  to  accelerate  his  end  proved 
his  preservation.  .  The  young  man  snatched  at  a  sword, 
seized  it  by  the  blade,  adi  neither  the  pain,  nor  the  exer- 
tions made  by  him  who^field  it,  could  make  him  quit  his 
grasp.  The  others,  admiring  his  resdution,  and  moved 
with  th%  proof  of  fraternal  afiSBCtion  which  he  had  difl- 


% 


t 


JsJI^i 


LOSS  OF  THE  POBTtJOVESB  TBSSBL  T^  BT.  JAMES.       103 


'k 


t 


played,  unanimously  aereed  to  permit  him  to  enter  the 
pinnace.  At  length,  after  having  endured  hunger  and 
thirst,  and  encountered  the  dangers  of  several  tempests, 
they  landed  on  the  coast  of  Africa,  on  the  twentieth  day 
after  tl^ieir  shipwreck,  and  there  met  with  their  compa^ 
nions  who  bad  escaped  in  the  first  boat.  -,     ..,  x  ; 

*  n^ie  rest  of  the  crew  and  passengers  left  on  ^e  wreck 
likewise  attempted  to  reach  the  land.  Colleoting  some 
loose jrafters  atid  planks,  they  formed  a  kind  of  raft,  but 
were  overwhelmed  by  the  first  sea,  and  all  perished, 
excepting  two  who  gained  the  shore.  Those  who  had 
reached  the  coast  of  Africa  had  not  arrived  at  the  end  of 
their  sutferings ;  they  had  scarcehr  disembarked  when 
they  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Cafires,  a  savage  and  in- 
human people,  who  stripped  and  left  them  in  the  most 
deplorable  state.  However,  mustering  up  their  courage 
and  the  little  strength  they  had  left,  uiey  anived  at  the 

Slac^  where  the  agent  of  the  Portuguese,  at  Sofala  and 
[ozambique,  resided.  By  him  they  were  received  with 
the  utmost  humanity,  and  after  rq)osing  a  few  dsys, 
after  their  fatigues,  they  reached  Sifozambique,  and  re- 
paired from  thence  to  India.  Only  sixty  survived  out 
of  all  those  who  had  embarked  in  the  St.  James ;  all  the 
rest  perished,  either  at  sea,  of  fatigue,  or  hunger.  Thus 
the  imprudence  of  an  individual  occasioned  the  loss  of  a 
fine  vessel,  and  the  lives  of  above  four  hundred  and  fifty 
|»^rsons. 

Upon  the  captain's  return  to  Europe,  the  widows  and 
ofj^ans  of  the  unfortunate  sufferers'  raised  such  loud 
ccmplaints  against  him  that  he  was  apprehended  and 
put  in  prison;  but  he  was  soon  afterwards  released. 
The  former  catastrophe  was  not  a  sufficient  lesson  for 
this  self-'Sufficient  and  obstinate  man.  He  undertook 
the  command  of  another  vessel  in  1588,  and  had  nearly 
lost  her  in  the  same  manner,  and  in  the  same  place. 
Fortunately,  at  sunrise  he  discovered  the  rodks,  towards 
which  he  was  running  with  the  same  imprudence  as  in 
his  former  voyage.  But  on  his  return  from  India  to 
Portugal  he  was  lost,  together  with  the  vessel  he  wA 
on  board  of;  thus  meetine  with  the  just  puiii|dm)iaLV^ 
his  culpfft)le  obstinacy  and  misconduct  if?    "^^ ! 


M' 


D0.1      .•...f-Ai  -Ti  «HT  ,p^^v  m^-s^'itM^tH  miT  ixv  a«oj 


ot 


'•jinA«7|r .: 


.  .  '  nil 

LOSS  OF  HIS  MAJESTY'S  SHIP  OENTAUB,    ', 


Of  Seventy-four  ChmSf  September  23^  1782. 


I'-After  the  decisive  engagement  in  the  West  Indies,  on 
the  glorious  12th  of  April,  1782,  when  the  French  fleet 
under  count  de  r^'asse  was  defeated  by  admiral  Sir 
George  Rodney,  several  of  the  captured  ships,  besides 
many  others,  were  either  lost  or  disabled,  on  their  home- 
ward-bound passage,  with  a  large  convoy.  Among  those 
lost  was  the  Centauii  of  seventy-four  guns,  whose  com- 
mander, captain  Inglefield,  with  tlie  master  and  ten  of 
the  crew,  experienced  a  most  providential  escape  from 
the  general  fate. 

The  captain's  narrative  affords  the  best  explanation  of 
the  manner  and  means  by  which  this  signal  deliverance 
was  effected.  Those  only  who  are  personally  involved 
in  such  a  calamity  vcan  describe  their  sensations  with 
fall  energy,  and  furnish,  in  such  detail,  those  traits  of 
the  he^rt  which  never  fail  to  interest 

llie  Centaur  (says  captain  Inglefield)  left  Jamaica  in^ 
rather  a  leaky  condition,  keeping  two  hand-pumps  goi^g, 
and  when  it  blew  fresh,  sometimes  a  spell  with  a  chaxp^g 
pump  was  necessary.     But  I  had  no  apprehension  tluif 
the  ship  was  not  able  to  encounter  a  common  gale  oi 
wind. 

".  In  the  evening  of  the  16th  of  September,  when  the, 
&tal  gale  came  on,  the  ship  was  prepared  for  the  worst 
weather  usually  met  in  mose  latitudes,  the  main-sail 
was  reefed  and  set,  the  top-gallant  masts  struck,  and 
the  mizzen-yard  lowered  down,  though  at  that  time  it 
did  not  blow  very  strong.  Towards  midnight  it  blew  a 
gUle  of  wind,  and  the  ship  made  so  much  water  that  I 
was  obUgod  to  turn  all  hands  up  to  spell  the  pumj^s. 
The  leak  still  increasing,  I  had  thoughts  to  try  the  ship 


i 


?m. 


f 


..•-a*.,...  ,..,jri,  ■ 


f      f-,...  •,  -.  ,^,,^,.;„ 


•  '■'.l^^:,■ 


LOSS  Of^BISIMIiSTf *«  BiJW  CIJTAUB. 


^m 


before  the  sea.  Happ j  I  should  have  been,  perhaps,  bad ; 
I  in  this  been  determined.  The  impropriety  of  leaving, 
the  convoy,  except  in  the  last  extremity,  and  (he  hopes- 
of  the  weather  growing  moderate,  weig||ied  against  tlie 
opinion  that  it  was  right.  i^tii  v    *  Jbi  Uii 

About  two  in  the  morning  thi6  wind  lulled,  and  we 
flattered  ourselves  the  gale  was  Inreakii^.  Soon  after 
we  had  much  thunder  and  lightning  from  the  south-east,, 
with  rain,  when  it  began  to  blow  strong  in  gusts  of  wind, 
which  obliged  me  to  haul  the  main-sail  up,  the  ship  be- 
ing then  under  bare  poles.  This  was  scarcely  ^  donej^ 
when  a  gust  of  wind,  exceeding  in  violeujce  apy  thinff.of. 
the  kind  I  had  ever  seen  or  had  any  qonception  of,  laid^ 
the  sMp  iipon  her  beam  ends.  tHe  water  forsook  thC; 
hold  and  appeared  between  decks,  so  as  to  fill  the  men'f 
hammocks  to  leeward :  the  ship  lay  motipniess,  and  to 
all  appearance  irrecoverably  overset.  The  water  in** 
creasmg  fast,  forced  through  the  cells  of  the  ports,  and 
scuttled  in  the  ports  from  the  pressure  of  the  ship.  I 
gave  immediate  directions  to  cut  away  the  main  and 
mizz^  masts,  hoping  when  the  ship  righted  to  wear  her. 
The  mizsen-mast  went  first,  upon  cutting  one  or  two  of 
the  lanyards,  without  the  smallest  effect  on  the  ship ; 
the  main-mast  followed,  upon  cutting  the  lanyard  of  one 
shroud ;  and  I  had  the  disam)pintment  to  see  the  fore- 
mast and  bowsprit  follow.  'Hie  ship  upon  jhis  immedi- 
ately righted,  but  with  great  violence ;  and  thie  mo^on 
was  so  quick,  that  it  was  difficult  for  the  people  to  work 
the  pumps.  Three  guns  broke  loose  upon  the  raaiuf 
deck,  and  it  was  some  time  before  they  were  secured. 
Several  men  being  maimed  in  this  attempt,  every- mova- 
ble was  destroyed,  either  from  the  shot  thrown  loo$ft 
from  the  lockers,  or  the  w;[eck  of  the  deck.  The  offi- 
cers, who  had  left  their  beds  naked  when  the  ship  over- 
set in  the  morning,  had  not  an  article  of  clothes  to  put 
on,  nor  could  their  friends  supply  them.  ^  , '^ 

The  masts  had  not  been  over  ^e  sides  ten  minutel 
before  I  was* informed'  the  tiller  had  broken  short  in  the 
rudder-head ;  and  before  the  chocks  could  be  placed,  tht 
rudder  itself  was  gone.    Thus  we  were  as  n&uch  disaAr 


■,ii>- 


>#r^ 


;  ''!-,,ii.H94,,^.,.^_... ,.;/„- 


.fl'Tit  ' 


ftiMAi^SLt  Mtt^BlOKi. 


--n  t 


.#!■ 


.     * 

and  s^ :  yet  1  hid  <>tte  6omfort,  that  the  pumps,  if  any^ 
thing,  red^ci^  the  water  in  th^  hold ;  and  as  the  mom* 
ing  came  On  (tho  17th>  the  weather  grew  more  mode^ 
rate,  the  wind  having  shifted,  in  the  gale,  to  north- 
west 

At  daVlight  I  daw  two  lino-of-battle  shi|>s  to  leeward ; 
one  had  lost  het  fore>mast  and  bowsprit;  the  other  her 
main-ni«iSt(  It  Was  the  general  opinion  on  bourd  the 
Centaur,  thit  the  foftn^  WM  the  Canada,  iho  other  the 
GlOrietx.  The  R^milife^  was  tiot  in  sight,  nor  mora' 
^to  finete  sail  of  hierdiAttt  ships.  -  '  * ''         "  ^*' 

''About  seVeh  ih'thd  niorning  1  isaw  another  tine-of^bat- 
tl^  ship  ahead  of  Us,  #^ich  I  soon  dfstingui^ed  to  be  the 
Till^  de  Paris,  With  all  her  masts  standing.  I  immedi* 
ately  gare  ora^  to,i)sak<g  the  signal  of  distress,  hoisting 
the  ensigti  on  the  stump  of  the  mizzen-mast,  union  down^ 
wards,  and  fit^g  one  of  the  forecastle  guns,  llie  ensign 
blew  a^ay  soon  afE^r  it  was  hoisted,  and  it  was  the  only 
•one  we  had  remaining;  bat  I  had  the  satisfkction  U>  see 
tho  Vifle  de  Paris  Wear  and  stand  towards  Us.  S#^orat  - 
of  the  merchant  ahips  also  approached  us,  and  fhoM  that 
eould  hailed,  ahd  offered  th^ir  assisrtance ;  but  dependingf 
upon  the  king's  ship.  I  only  thanks  them,  desiring,  if 
ttiey  jOiiied  admiWil  waves,  to  acquaint  him  of  oiir  con* 
dii$bn."^^I  had  hot  tho  smallest  doubt  but  the  Yille  de 
Pai'JtfWas  cmhihe  tO  u6,  as"  she  appeared  to 'us  not  to 
have  suffered  in  the  least  by  the  storm^and'hkving  seen 
her  wear,  we  knew  she  was  under  govcrnm^t  of  he*  ' 
helm;  at  this  time,  also^^it  was  so  moderate  that  the 
merchantmen  set  their  top-sails :  but,  approaching  With- 
in two  miles,  she  passed  us  to  windwara ;  thia  being  ob- 
served by  ott^  of  the  merchant  ships,  she  wore  and  came 
under  our  stern,  Offbiing  to  carry  any  message  to  her.  I 
desired  the  master  would  acquaint  captain  .Wilkinson  * 
thaf  the  Centaur  had  lost  her  rudder,  as  well  as  her 
masts;  that  "She  made  a  great  deal  Of^wate^  and  that  I 
desired  h^  would  remain  with  her 'until  the  weather 
|ireW  Knod^raie.  I  saw  (3ie  merchantman  a<|^firoach  af^ 
forwards  neaf  enough  to  speak  to  Ihe  Yille  de  Fails,  tml 


■iyh 


# 


:<4 


-'««&■ 


.iAi^  ^i&ii^'  ■ 


LOSS  Of  Km  MAJBSTT^  SHir  OBNTAUB. 


107 


I  tim  afraid  that  her  condition  waa  much  Worsa  thM  itr 
appeared  to  be,  as  she  contintied  upon  that  tack*  In  thor 
meau;  time  all  the  quarter-deck  guns  were  thrown  over- 
board, and  all  but  six,  which  had  overset,  off  the  main-- 
deck.  The  ship,  lying  in  the  trough  of  toe  sea,  labored 
prodigiously.  1  got  over  one  of  the  small  anohora,  with 
a  boom  and  several  tf  an  carriagea,  veering  out  froiathe 
head^loor  by  a  large  hawser,  to  keep  the  ship's  bow  to 
the  tea;  but  this,  with  a  tc^gallant  sail  upon  the  stump 
of  the  minen-mast,  had  not  Uie  desired  enect 

As  the  evening  came  on  it  grew  haay,  and  blew  strong 
in  squalls.  We  lost  sight  of  the  Ville  de  Paris,  bul  I 
thoughtit  a  certainty  mat  we  should  see . her  the  iiett 
momingi:  The  ni|^  was  passedtin  Qenatant  labot  at 
the  pump.  Sometimes  the  wind  lullcfil,  and  the  water 
diminished;  when  it  blew  strong  again,  the  sea  ruing, 
the  water  again  increased.  >  hrn 

Towards  the  morning  of  the  18th  I  was  informed  th^ire 
was  seven  feet  water  upon  the  kelson ;  that  one  of  the 
winches  was  broken ;  that  the  two  spare  ones  would  not 
fit,  and  that  the  hand-pumps  were  choked.  These  cii^ 
cumstanoes  were  sufficiently  alarmibgr  but  upon  open* 
ing  the  after-hold  to  get  some  rum  up  mr  the  people,  vf«|^^ 
found  our  conditimi  much  more  so.  :^^ 

jdit  will  be  necessary  to  mention,  that  the  Centaur's  a£> 
ter-hold  was  inclosed  by  a  bulk-head  at  the  aHer  part  of  > 
the  well ;  here  all  die  dry  proviilions  and  the  ship^s  mm 
were  stowed  uooa.  twenty  chaldnms  of  coal,  which  un«» 
fortunately  had  been  started  on  this  part  of  die  diip,  a&di 
by  them  the  pumps  were  continually  choked.    Th»$ 
chain-pumps  were  so  much  worn  as  to  be  of  little  use  t 
and  the  leathers,  which,  had  the  well  been  clear,  wcnlld 
have  lasted  twenty  days,  or  more,  were  all  Consumed  in 
eight    At  this  time  it  wits  observed  that  the  wi^er  had 
not  a  passage  to  the  well,  for  there  vnM  do  axacb  that  it 
washed  against  the  orlop-deck.    All  the  rum,  twMi|gr-siz 
puncheons,  and  all  the  provisions,  of  whidh  Iheie  waa^ 
sufficient  for  two-months,  in  casks,  were  staved,  hiiving; 
floated  with  vioUBace  from  side  to  side  until  there  mwm:. 
mot  a  whole  cask  remaining :  even  tiie  itavee  that  were. 


lOfr 


.«       BtNABKftBlS  trnPinaOKAv'  a^<^ 


found  upon  dealing  the  hold  were  most  of  them  broken 
in  two  pieces.  In  the  fore-hold  we  had  a  prospect  ckT 
perishing :  shonld  the  ship  swim,  we  had  no  water  hnt 
what^^mained  in  the  ground  tier;  and  over  this  all  the 
wet  provisions,  and  butts  filled  with  salt-water,  were 
floatmg,  and  with  so  much  motion  that  no  man  could 
with  safety  go  into  the  hold.  There  was  nothing  left 
for  us  to  tij  but  bailing  with  buckets  at  the  fore-hatch- 
way and  ndi-room;  and  twelve  large  canvas  buckets 
were  immediately  empk>yed  at  each.  On  opmiiag  the 
fish-room  we  were  so  fortunate  as  to  discover  that  two 
puncheonS'  <tf  rum,  which  belonged  to  me,  had  escaped. 
They  were  immediatfily  got  up,  and  served  out  at  times 
in  drams ;  and  had  it  not  been  for  ^is  relief,  and  some 
lime-juice,  the  people  would  have  dropped.  -H 

We  soon  found  our  accmmt  in  bailing ;  the  spare  pump 
had  been  put  down 'the  fore-hatchway,  and  a -pump 
shifted  to  the  fish-room ;  but  the  motion  of  the  i^ip  had 
washed  the  coals  so  small,  that  they  bad  reached  every 

Sirt  of  the  ship;  and  the  pumps  were  soon  choked, 
owever,  the  water  by  noon  had  considerably  dimi- 
nished by  working  the  buckets ;  but  there  appeared  no 
wospect  of  saving  the  ship,  if  the  ||ale  continued.  The 
iftbor  was  too  great  to  hold  out  wiUiout  water;  yet  the 
people  w<nrked  witfiout  a  murmur,  and  indeed  with 
cheerfulness. 

At  ^s  time  the  weather  was  more  moderate,  and  »' 
couple  of  spars  were  got  ready  for  shears  to  set  up  a 
jury  fore-mast ;  but  as  the  evening  came  on,  ^e  gale 
again  increased.  We  had  seen  nothing  this  day  but 
the  ship  that  had  lost  her  main-mast,  and  she  appeared 
to4)6  as  much  in  waut  of  assistance  as  ourselves,  having 
fired  guns  of  distress;  and  before  night  I  was  told  her 
fore-mast  was  gone.  .^^ 

The  Centaur  labored  so  much,  that  I  had  scarcely  a' 
hope  i^e  could  swim  fill  mominff.  However,  by  great 
exertion  of  the  chain-pumps  and  baihng,  we  held  cmr 
own,  but  our  suflforings  for  want  of  water  were  very 
ffreat,  and  many  of  the  pei^le  could  not  ba  lestvained 
troinjjIriiMdng-jMdt^watark;  V  :  ^'«i-,.j|b  :>  4M<i  "^^^fe       --^^ 


LOBS  OP  ■!*  UAJium*»  mm  onfrAus. 


m 


At  diiyliglit  (the  19th)  theire  was  ih^  Tessel  tn  sight ; 
and  flashsB  from  gmis  haring  been  seen  m  the  night,  we 
feared  the  shin  that  w^  Jiad  seen  the  preeeding  da^  had 
foundered.  Towards  ten  o^cloek  in  the  for^oon  thi^ 
weather  grew  more  moderate,  the  water  diminished  iti 
the  hold,  and  the  people  were  encouraged  to  tedoiible 
their  eft>rts  to  get  the  water  low  enough  to  break  a  cask 
of  fresh  water  out  of  the  ground  tier;  and  som^  of  iM 
most  resolute  of  the  seamen  were  employed  hi  the  at-i 
tempt  At  nodn  we  succeeded  with  one  cask,  which,- 
though,  little,  was  a  seasonable  relief  All  the  officers, 
passengers,  and  boys,  who  were  not  of  the  professioh  of 
seamen,  had  been  employed  thrumming  a  sail,  Whlcft 
was  passed  under  the  ship's  bottom,  and  I  thought  it 
had  some  effect.  The  shears  were  raised  for  the  fore- 
mast; the  weather  looked  promising,  the  sea  fell,  and  at 
night  we  were  able  to  reHeveat  the  pumpS  and  bailing 
every  two  hours.  By  the  morning  of  die  20th  the  fbr^ 
hold  was  cleared  of  the  water,  and  we  had  the  ccmiforta- 
ble  promise  of  a  fine  day.  It  proved  so,  and  I  was  deter- 
mined to  make  use  of  it  with  every  possible  exertiott;  1 
divided  the  ship's  conrpahy,  with  the  officers  attending 
them,  into  parties,  to  raise  the  jury  fore-mast ;  to  heave 
over  the  lower-deck  guns ;  to  clear  the  wrecks  o(  the 
fore  and  afte^ holds;  to  prepare  the  machine  ibr  steering 
the  ship,  and  to  work  ttie  pumps.*  By  nig|ht  the  after4 
hold  was  as  clear  as  when  me  ship  was  IaUilChed;^>r^ 
to  our  astonishment,  there  was  not  a  shovel  of  coctis 
remaining,  twenty  chaldrons  having  beenj>nmped'  out 
since  the  commencement  of  Ae  gale.  What  1  havd 
called  the  wreck  of  the  hold,  was  the  bulk-heads  6f  th«i 
after  hold,  fish-room,  and  spirit-rooms^  The  standards 
of  the  cockpit,  an  immense  quantity  of  stares  and  Wood, 
and  part  of  the  lining  of  the  ship,  were  thrown  over^ 
board,  that  if  the  water  should  again  appear  in  the  hold; 
we  might  have  no  impediment  in  bailing.  All  the  gatt4 
Were  overboard,  the  fore-mast  secured,  and  the  machine, 
which  was  to  be  similar  to  that  with  which  the  IpsWichf 
was  steered,  Was  in  great  forwardness;  so  that  I  was  iu 
hopetj  tSub  moderate  weilher  eontihuing,  ttiat  I  shouNt 
10 


f 


« 


#■' 


m 


.rt'» 


•MIUmSABLI  SMIPWftlOKt, 


.1 


\m  Mt  to  flMC  the  ship  by  noon  the  following  day,  and 
at  leaat  sove  the  people  on  some  of  the  Weetem  lelande. 
Had  we  had  any  othet  ship  in  company  with  us,  1  should 
haye  thought  it  my  duty  to  have  quitted  the  Centaur 
this  day.  , 

Thif  nidht  the  people  got  some  rest  by  relievinff  the 
watchee;  out  in  the  morning  of  the  21st,  we  had  the 
mortification  to  find  thitt  the  weather;  again  threatenedi 
and  by  uooa  it  blew  a  gale^  The  ship  labored  greatly, 
and  the  water  appeared  in  the  fore  and  after-hold,  and 
increaoed.  The  carpenter  also  informed  me  that  the 
leathers  were  nearly  consumed ;  and  likewise  that  the 
^ains  of  the  pun^ps,  by  cimstant  exertion  and  the  fric- 
tion 4>f  the  coals,  were  considered  as  nearly  useless. 

As  we  had  now  no  other  resource  but  bailing,  I  gave 
orders  that  scuttles  should  be  cut  through  the  decks  to 
introduce, more  buckets  into  the  hold;  and  all  the  sail- 
makers  were  employed,  night  and  day,  in  making  can- 
vas buckets ;  and  the  orlop-deck  having  failed  in  on  the 
larboard  side,  I  ordered  the  sheet  cable  to  be  roused 
•verjbtoard.  The  wind  at  this  time  was  at  west,  and 
being  en  the  larboard  tack,  many  schemei^  had  been 
pactised  to  wear  the  ship,  that  we  might  drive  into  a 
less  boisterous  latitude,  as  well  as  approach  the  Western 
JLsflands^  bulnone  succeeded:  and  havings  a  weak  car- 
pmter's  erew,  they  were  hardly  sufficient  to  attend  the 
puipips ;  so  that  we  could  not  make  any  progress  with 
the  steeripg  machine.  Another  sail  had  been  thrummed 
and  got  oyer,  but  we  did  not  find  its  use ;  indeed  there 
waano  piospect  but  in  a  change  of  weather.  A  large 
leak  had  been  discovered  and  stopped  in  the  fore-hold 
and  another  in  the  lady's  hole,  but  the  ship  appeared  so 
weak  from  her  laboring,  that  it  was  clear  she  could  not 
last  long.  The  after  cock-pit  had  fallen  in,  the  fore 
cock-pit  the  same,  with  all  the  store  rooms  down;  the 
stern  post  was  soioose,  that  as  the  ship  rolled,  the  water 
rushed  in  on  either  side  in^  jreal;  streams,  which  we 
coold  not  stop.'.         -  --^  m<#i^ ;*4j-  n-jri^iNi.-  »ti  m •««••*-.  ikn^Aw 

Night  came  on,  with  the  same  dresry  prosppct  as  on 
the  pieOBdiagt  and  wi4  passa^t&in  continual  efforts  o£ 


LOBS  or  IBM  Mumrt^B  nup  cmtaur. 


tlA( 


t»bot^  Momilig  cKBtBy  (tlMi22d,)  without  our  feeiBglitiy 
thing,  or  any  change  of  weather,  and  tho  day  waa  tpeDl 
with  the  same  straggles  to  keep  the  ship  above  watflr» 
pumping  and  bailing  at  the  hatchwaya  and  aeutlles. 
Towards  nioht  another  of  the  chain  pumps  was  Niids»- 
ed  quite  useless,  by  one  of  the  leUers  being  diepkeed  at 
the  bottom  of  the  pump,  and  this  was  witnont  remedy, 
there  being  too  much  water  in  the  well  to  get  to  it :  we 
also  had  but  six  leathers  remaining,  so  that  the  fate  of 
the  ship  was  n9t  far  off.  Still  the  labor  went  on  with- 
out any  apparent  despair,  every  officer  taking  his  shaie 
of  it,  and  the  people  weie  always  cheerful  and  obedlint. 
During  the  night  the  water  moHBaflad  t  but  aboutseven 
in  the  mOming  of  the  B3d  I  was  told  that  an  tmusual 


quantity  of  water  appeared,  all  at  once^  in  the  fiMre4lokl| 
which,  upon  mv  gomg  forward  to  be  convinced,  Ilbund 
but  too  true ;  me  stowage  of  the  hold  ground- tier  wai 
all  in  motion,  so  that  in  a  short  time  mere  was  |iot  a 
whole  cask  to  be  seen.  We  were  convinced  the  thxp  had 
sprung  a  fresh  leak.  Another  sail  had  been  thrumming 
all  ni^t,  and  I  was  giving  directions  ta  place  it  over  ^ 
bows,  when  I  perceived  uie  ridp  settling  by  tfie  head, 
the  lower  deck  bow-ports  being  even  with  the  water» 

At  tiiis  period  the  carpenter  acquainted  me  the  well 
was  stavea  in,  destroyed  by  the  Wreck  of  the  hold,  and 
the  chain  pumps  displaced  and  totally  useless.  Theie 
was  nothing  left  but  to  redouble  our  efforts  in  baiMng, 
but  it  became  difficult  to  fill  the  buckets,  from  the  <}uan« 
tity  of  staves,  planks,  anchor-stock,  and  yud-ampieces^ 
which  were  now  washed  from  the  wings,  and  floating 
from  side  to  side  with  the  motion  of  the  ship.  'Hie  peo* 
pie,  till  this  period,  had  labored,  as  if  determined  to  crai- 
quer  their  aifficulties,  wtthc^t  ^  mumna  or  without  a 
tear ;  but  now  seeing  their  effiirts  useless,  many  of  them 
burst  into  tears  and  wept  like  children. 

1  gave  orders  for  the  anchors,  of  which  we  had  two 
remaining,  to  be  thrown  bverboard,  one  of  which  (the 
spare  anchor)  had  been  most  surprisingly  hove  in  upmi 
the  forecastle  and  midships,  when  the  riiip  had  been 
apon  her  beam  ends,  attd^ne  through  the  oeok. 


.«iiJT 


;<" 


viBvtrjr  tUM  tlMt  I  rliitod  the  hatehwrny  I obt«lnr»i  tlis 
irattr  inereaaed,  and  at  noon  waihed  eren  wMi  the  or^ 
lop^dockt  the  oarpentoraMiirad  no  th«  iihip  could  not 
fwtai  leng,  and  piopoeed  making  rafta  to  float  the  ihip's 
eompany,  whom  it  was  not  in  my  power  to  eneonrage 
any  lengjBf  with  a  pioepeet  of  their  safety.  Some  ap- 
peartd  perfcetly  reiignea,  Went  to  their  haaunocks  and 
deeiied  their  mewmiftee  to  lath  them  in  $  others  were 
lashing  tkemselTes  to  gratiMn  and  smiill  rafts ;  but  the 
most  ptedominant  idea  was  mat  of  putting  on  their  beat 
tmd  eleaneet  clothes.  '  ,         r^^ 

The  weather,  about  noon,  had  been  something  mod«« 
rate,  and  as  nits  had  been  menlionisd  by  the  caruii;ter, 
I  thought  it  risht  to  make  the  attetept,  though  l  knew 
our  boons  oouul  not  float  halt  the  ship's  company  in  fine 
weather ;  but  we  weriB  in  a  sitnation  to  catch  at  a  straw. 
Iithereibre  called  Uie  ship's  company  together,  told  them 
my  intention,  recommeiiding  to  th«n  to  remain  regular 
and  obedient  to  tiieir  officers.  Preparations  were  idbme- 
diately  made  to  this  puryxwe;  the  booms  were  cleared ; 
Ikb  boats,  of  Which  wr*  had  three,  via.  cutter,  pkmace. 
and  fiT»K>ared  3rltwl,  ./ere  got  dver  Uieside;  a  bag  or 
bread  was  ordered  lu  be  put  in  each,  and  anv  liquors 
that  could  be  ^t  at,  lor  ^e  purpose  of  sup|»ying  the 
tafis.  1  had  mtended  myselt  to  go  in  the-  five-oared 
yawl)  and  the  coxswain  was  desired  to  get  any  thing 
nan  mv  steward  that  might  be  useful.  Iwo  meU)  cap- 
tains or  the  tops,  of  the  foreeastle,  or  quartermaMers, 
were  placed  in  each  of  thom,  to  jHreyent  any  person  from 
forcmj^  the  boats,  (nt  getting  into  them  until  an  arrange 
m«it  wiBis  made.  While  these  {>reparat'  •  .•  ^  er*^  mak- 
ing, the  ship  was  gra>'  lally  smking^,  *h*:,  decks 
haying  been  blown  up  by  the  water  in  t'  •  u,  .  iid  the 
cables  floated  to  the  gun-deck.  The  men  had  some  time 
quitted  their  employment  of  bailing,  mad  the  ship  was 
1^^  to  her  fate. 

*--.\  the  aftemomi  the  weather  again  threatened,  and 
blK>A  ,!tron|rl7  in  aqualb ;  the  sea  ran  high,  and  one  of 
i;i&@  U«^:  ttne  yawl)  was  staved  alongsiae  and  suhk. 
M  the  oTemng  approached,  the  ilttp  afqwaied  little  more 


■nr  OVNTAUB. 


M 


ditii  •oipended  in  waur.  There  wtm  no  certainey  that 
die  would  swim  from  one  minute  to  aAother ;  and  the 
love  of  life,  which  I  believe  n<  ver  showod  itself  later  in 
the  approach  to  death,  beffan  now  to  level  all  dittinctioni. 
It  was  impoaalble.  indeecf,  for  any  man  to  deceive  him- 
ft)  If  with  a  hope  of  being  saved  upon  a  raft  in  such  a  atm: 
h  ''des  that,  tne  ship  in  sinking.  It  was  probable,  would 
c,  rry  every  thing  down  with  ner  in  a  v(Mrtex,  to  a  cer- 
tain distance. 

.  It  was  near  five  o'clock,  when,  coming  from  my  cabin, 
I  observed  a  number  of  people  looking  very  anxiously 
over  the  side ;  and  looking  over  myself,  I  saw  that  seve- 
ral men  had  forced  the  pinnace,  and  that  more  were  at- 
tempting to  set  in.  I  had  immediate  thoughts  of  ^lecuring 
this  boat 'before  she  mig^t  be  sunk  by  numbers.  There 
appeared  not  more  than  a  moment  for  consideration ;  to 
^main  and  perish  with  the  ship's  company,  to  whom  I 
could  not  be  of  use  any  longer,  or  seize  the  opportunity, 
which  seemed  the  only  way  of  escaping,  an^  leav')  the 
people,  with  whom  I  had  been  so  well  satisfied  on  a  va- 
riety of  occasions  that  I  thought  I  could  give  my  lite  to 
preserve  them.  This,  indeed,  was  a  painful  conflict, 
such  as,  I  believe,  no  man  can  describe,  nor  any  have  a 
just  idea  of  who  has  not  been  in  a  similar  situation. 

The  love  of  life  prevailed.  I  called  to  Mr.  Rainy,  the 
master,  the  only  officer  upon  deck,  desired  him  to  roUow 
^tie,  and  immediately  descended  into  the  boat  at  the  after 
part  of  the  chains,  but  not  without  great  difficulty  gtit 
the  boat  clear  of  the  ship,  twice  the  number  that  the  boat 
would  carry  pushing  to  get  in,  and  many  jumping  inio 
the  water.  Mr.  Baylis,  a  young  gentleman  fifteen  years 
of  age,  leaped  from  the  chains,  after  the  boat  had  got  ofi* 
and  was  taken  in.  The  boat  falling  astern,  becanw  ex- 
posed to  the  sea,  and  we  endeavored  to  ]mll  her  bow 
round  to  keep  her  to  the  break  of  the  sea,  and  to  pass  to 
windward  oi  the  ship ;  but  in  the  attempt  she  was  near- 
ly filled,  the  sea  ran  too  high,  and  the  only  probability 
of  living  was  keeping  her  before  the  Wind. 

h  was  f  len  that  1  became  sensible  how  little,  if  waf, 
iMtfdr  our  condition  was  than  that  of  thdM  who  M^ 
10* 


y 


W 


BB^UfUEABLB  «O^WBECKS. 


?''»0,! 


mained  in  the  ship ;  at  best,  it  appeared  to  be  pvlj  |k 
prolongation  of  a  miserable  existence.  We  were,  all  to- 
gether, twelve  in  number,  in  a  leaky  boat,  with  one  of 
uie  gunwales  staved,  in  nearly  the  middle  of  the  Western 
ocean,  without  a  compass,  without  quadrant,  without 
sail,  without  great  coat  or  cloak,  all  very  thinlv  clothed, 
in  a  sale  of  wind,  with  a  ^eat  sea  running !  It  was 
now  nve  o'clock  ia  the  evemn^^,  and  in  half  an  hour  we 
lost  sight  of  the  ship.  Before  it  was  dark  a  blanket  was 
discovered  in  the  boat  This  was  immediately  bent  to 
one  of  the  stretches,  and  under  it,  as  a.  sail,  we  scudded 
all  dight,  in  expectation  of  being  swallowed  up  by  every 
wave,  it  being  with  great  difficulty  that  we  could  some- 
times clear  the  boat  of  the  water  before  the  return  of 
the  next  great  sea ;  all  of  us  half  drowned,  and  sitting, 
except  those  who  bailed,  at  the  bottom  of  the  boat ;  and, 
without  havmg  really  perished,  I  am  snre  no  people  ever 
endured  more.  In  the  morning  the  weather  grew  mode- 
rate, the  wind  having  shifted  to  the  southward,  as  we 
discovered  by  the  sun.  Having  survived  the  night,  we 
began  to  recollect  ourselves,  and  to  tiiink  of  our  future 
preservation.    ,1  ^  ^^i^ '' ^^^'f^^u  ■ 

When  we  quitted  the  ship  the  wind  was  at  N.  W.  or 
N.  N.  W.  Fayal  had  borne  £.  S.  E.  two  hundred  and 
fifty  or  two  hundred  and  sixty  leagues.  Had  the  wind 
continued  for  five  or  six  days,  there  was  a  probability 
that  running  before  the  sea  we  might  have  fallen  in  with 
some  one  01  the  Western  Islands.  The  change  of  wind 
was  death  to  these  hopes ;  for,  should  it  come  to  blow, 
we  knew  there  would  be  no  preserving  life  but  by  run- 
ning before  the  sea,  which  would  carry  us  again  to  the 
northward,  where  we  must  soon  afterwards  perish. 

Up(Mi  examining  what  we  had  to  subsist  on,  I  found  a 
bag  of  bread,  a  small  ham,  a  single  piece  of  pork,  two 
quart  bottles  of  water,  and  a  few  of  French  cordials. 
The  wind  continued  to  the  southward  for  eight  or  nine 
days,  and  providentially  never  blew  so  strong  but  that 
we  could  keep  the  side  of  the  boat  to  the  sea :  but  we 
were  always  most  miserably  wet  and  cold.  We  kept  a 
■ort  of  reckovting,  but  the  sun  and  stars  being  somevmat 


LOSS  OF  HIS  MAJUTT'S  SHIP  OUTTAUB. 


%W 


hidden  from  us,  for  twenty-four  houn,  we  had  no  very 
correct  idea  of  our  navigation.  We  judged,  that  we  had 
nearly  an,E.  N.  E.  course  since  the  fisst  night's  run, 
which  had  carried  us  to  the  S.  £.  and  expected  to  see 
the  island  of  Corvo.  In  this,  however,  we  were  disap- 
pointed, and  we  fearSd  that  the  southerly  'wind  had 
driven  us  far  to  the  northward.  Our  prayers  were  now 
for  a  northerly  wind.  Our  condition  oegan  to  be  truly 
miserable,  both  from  hunger  and  cold :  for  on  the  fifth 
day  we  had  discovered  that  our  bread  was  nearly  all 
spoiled  by  salt-water,  and  it  was  necessary  to  go  on  an 
allowance.  One  biscuit  divided  into  twelve  morsels  for 
breakfast,  and  the  sam6  for  dinner ;  the  neck  of  a  bottle 
broken  off,  with  the  cork  in,  served  for  a  glass,  and  this, 
filled  with  water,  was  the  allowance  for  twenty-four 
hours  for  P'^ch  man.  This  was  done  without  any  par* 
tiality  or  distinction ;  but  we  must  have  perished  ere 
this,  had  we  not  caught  six  quarts  of  rain  water ;  uid 
this  we  could  not  have  been  blessed  with,  had  we 
not  found  in  the  boat  a  pair  of  sheets,  which  by  acci- 
dent had  been  put  there.  These  were  spread  when 
it  rained,  and  when  thoroughly  wet,  wrung  into  the 
kidd,  with  which  we  bailed  the  boat.  With  this  short 
allowance,  which  was  rather  tantalizing  in  our  comfort- 
less condition,  we  began  to  grow  very  feeble,  and  our 
clothes  being  continually  wet,  our  bodies  were,  in  many 
places,  chafed  into  sores.    '5f  T  ■■^m 

On  the  15th  day  it  fell  calm,  and  soon  after  a  breeze 
of  wind  sprung  up  from  the  N.  N.  W.  and  blew  to  a 
gale,  so  that  we  ran  before  the  sea  at  the  rate  of  five  or 
six  miles  an  hour  under  our  blanket,  till  we  judged  we 
were  to  the  southward  of  Fayal,  and  to  the  westward 
sixty  leagues :  but  the  wind  blowing  strong  we  could  not 
attempt  to  steer  for  it.  Our  wishes  were  now  for  the 
wind  to  shift  to  the  westward.  This  was  the  fifteenth 
day  we  had  been  in  the  boat,  and  we  had  only  one  day's 
bread,  and  one  bottle  of  water  remaining  of  a  second 
supply  of  rain.  Our  sufferings  were  now  as  great  as 
human  strength  could  bear,  but  we  were  convinced  that 
good  s|nrits  were  a  better  support  than  great  bodily ' 


'■,^'f-^'  ■ 


tm 


-^^^'    tlMAfttABtB  lrt!lHhl««t8;>  ^*- 


strength  *  for  on  this  day  Thomas  Matthews,  quartet* 
master,  the  stoutest  man  m  the  boat,  perished  from  hun- 
ger and  cold :  on  the  day  before  he  had  complained  of 
want  of  strength  in  his  throat,  as  he  expressed  it,  to 
swallow  his  morsel,  and  in  the  night  drank  salt-water, 
grew  delirious,  and  died  without  a  groan.  As  it  became 
next  to  a  certainty  that  we  sh6uld  all  perish  in  the  same 
manner  in  a  day  or  two,  it  was  somewhat  comfortable 
to  reflect,  that  dying  of  hunger  was  not  so  dreadful  as 
oiur  imaginations  had  represented.    Others  had  com- 

Slained  of  these  s3rmptoms  in  their  throats ;  some  had 
rank  their  own  urine;  and  all  but  myself  had  drank 
salt-water. 

As  yet  despair  and  gloom  had  been  successfully  pro- 
hibited; and,  as  the  evenings  closed  in,  the  men  had 
been  encouraged  by  turns  to  sing  a  song,  or  relate  a  story, 
instead  of  supper ;  but  this  evening  I  found  it  impossible 
to  raise  either.  As  the  night  came  on  it  fell  calm,  and 
about  midnight  a  breeze  of  wind  sprang  up,  we  guessed 
from  the  westward  by  the  swell,  but  there  not  being  a 
star  to  be  seen,  we  were  afraid  of  running  out  of  our 
way,  and  waited  impatiently  for  the  rising  sun  to  be 
our  compass.  m- fmw^*'--mf  r  ^f  .bm^i 

As  soon  as  the  dawn  appeared,  we  found  the  wind  to 
be  exactly  as  we  had  wished,  at  W.  S.  W.  and  imme- 
diately spread  our  sail,  running  before  the  sea  at  the 
rate  of  four  miles  ^n  hour.  Our  last  breakfast  had  been 
served  with  the  bread  and  water  remaining,  when  John 
Gregory,  quartermaster,  declared  with  much  confidence 
that  he  saw  land  in  the  S.  E.  We  had  so  often  seen 
fog-banks,  which  had  the  appearance  of  land,  that  I  did 
not  trust  myself  to  believe  it,  and  cautioned  the  people, 
(who  were  extravagantly  elated,)  that  they  might  not 
feel  the  effects  of  disapjpointment;  till  at  length  one  of 
them  broke  out  into  a  most  immoderate  swearing  fit  of 
joy,  which  I  could  not  restrain,  and  declared  he  had 
never  seen  land  in  his  life  if  what  he  now  saw  was  not 
land. 

We  immediately  shaped  our  cour^  for  it,  though  ou 
my  part  with  very  little  faith.    The  wind  freshened ;  th« 


t 


LOSS  OF  ns  majestt's  ship  csntave. 


boat  went  through  the  water  at  the  rate  of  five  or  six 
miles  an  hour,  and  in  two  hours'  time  the  land  was 
plainly  seen  by  every  man  in  the  boat,  but  at  a  very 
great  distance,  so  that  we  did  not  reach  it  till  ten  at 
night.  It  must  have  been  at  least  twenty  leagues  from 
us  when  fir^t  discovered;  and  I  cannot  help  remarking, 
with  much  thankfulness,  the  providential  favor  shown 
to  us  in  this  instance. 

In  every  part  of  the  horizon,  except  where  the  land 
was  discovered,  there  was  so  thick  a  haze  that  we  could 
not  have  seen  any. thing  for  more  than  three  or  four 
leagues.  Fayal,  by  our  reckoning,  bore  E.  by  N.  which 
course  we  were  steering,  and  in  a  few  hourf,  had  not  the 
sky  opened  for  our  preservation,  we  should  have  increas- 
ed our  distance  from  the  land,  got  to  the  eastward,  and 
of  course  missed  all  the  island.  As  we  approached  the 
land  our  belief  had  strengthened  that  it  was  Fayal.  The 
island  of  Pico,  which  might  have  revealed  it  to  us,  had 
the  weather  been  perfectly  clear,  was  at  this  time  capped 
witih  clouds,  and  it  was  some  time  before  we  were  quite 
satisfied,  having  traversed  for  two  hours  a  great  part  of 
the  island,  where  the  steep  apd  rocky  shore  refused  us  a 
landing.  This  circumstance  was  borne  with  much  im- 
patience, for  we  had  flattered  ourselves  thaliw^  should 
meet  with  fresh  water  at  the  first  ^art  of  the  land  we 
might  approach ;  and  being  disappomted,  the  thirst  of 
some  had  increased  anxiety  almost  to  a  state  of  madness; 
so  that  we  were  near  making  the  attempt  to  land  in 
some  places  where  the  boat  must  have  been  dashed  to 
pieces  by  the  surf.  At  length  we  discovered  a  fishing 
canoe,  which  conducted  us  into  the  road  of  Fayal  about 
midnight ;  but  where  the  regulation  of  the  port  did  not 

Eermit  us  to  land  till  examined  by  the  health  officers ; 
owever,  I  did*  not  think  much  of  sleeping  this  night  in 
the  boat,  our  pilot  having  brought  us  some  refreshments 
of  bread,  wine,  and  water.  In  the  morning  we  were 
visited  by  Mr.  Graham,  the  EngUsh  consul,  whose  hu- 
mane attention  made  very  ample  amends  for  the  formality 
of  the  Portuguese.  Indeed  I  can  never  sufficiently  ex- 
press the  sense  I  have  of  his  kindness  and  humanity, 


^i 


# 


•■-^ 


\ 


IHB 


•AJATKl^l^jIBICABLl  SHIPWMWBI.   '""■^'^ 


ho(h  to  myself  and  people;  for,  I  believe,  it  vmn  the 
whole  of  his  employment  for  several  days  to  contrive  the 
best  means  of  restoring  us  to  health  and  strength.  It  is 
true,  I  believe  there  never  were  more  pitiable  objects. 
Some  of  the  stoutest  men  belonging  to  the  Centaur  were 
obliged  to  be  supported  through  the  streets  of  Fayal. 
Mr.  Rainy,  the  master,  and  myself,  were,  I  think,  in  bet- 
ter health  than  the  rest ;  but  I  could  not  walk  without 
being  summrted ;-  abd  for  several  days,  with  the  best  and 
most  comtortable  provisions  of  diet  and  lodging,  we  grew 
rather  worse  than  better.  >    ,,-w       ^     ,  ...    ... 

LOSS  OF  THE  SLOOP  BITrSY,  ^^  ^"^'l*^ 


»Mi. 


On  the  Coast  of  Duich  Ouiam,  August  5j  1756. '«« 

On  the  1st  of  Augtist;  1766,  says  captaih  Aubin,  I  set 
sail  for  Surinam,  from  OarliaAe  bay,  in  the  island  of  Bar- 
iMidoes.  My  sloop,  of  about  eighty  tons  burthen,  was 
built  entirely*of  cedar,  and  freight^  by  Messrs.  Roscoe 
and  Nyles,  merchants  of  Bridgetown.  The  cargo  con- 
sisted Of  ^ivovisions  of  every  kind,  and  horses-.  The 
Dutch  colony  being  in  want  of  a  supply  of  those  animals, 
passed  a  law  that  no  English  vessel  should  be  permitted 
to  enter  there,  if  horses  did  not  constitute  part  of  her 
cargo.  The  Dutch  were  so  rigid  in  enforcing  this  con- 
dition, that  if  the  horses  chanced  to  die  on  their  passage, 
the  master  of  the  vessel  was  oblige  to  preserve  the  ears 
and  hoofs  of  the  animals,  and  to  swear  upon  entering 
the  port  of  Surinam,  that  when  he  embarked  they  were 
alive,  and  destined  for  that  colony. 

The  coasts  of  Surinam,  Berbice,  Demarara,  Oronoko, 
and  all  the  adjacent  parts,  are  low  lands,  and  inundated 
hy  large  rivers,  which  discharge  themselves  into  the  sea. 
T^e  bottom  all  along  this  coast  is  composed  of  a  kind 
of  mud,  or  clay,  in  which  the  anchors  sink  to  the  depth 
of  three  or  ibur  fathoms,  and  upon  which  the  keel  some- 
times strikes  without  stopping  the  vessel.    The  sloop 


H 

inf 
bel 


JU! 

8i( 
wk 
mi 


'■» 


-*'' 


¥r 


.^-'^j-- 


':-.n'-™.f-"-i-t--.';  i'--ff!i*r. 


MSB  OF  ns  8100^  BBT81. 


If9 


being  at  anchor  three  leagues  and  a  half  from  the  ihore 
in  five  fathoms  water,  the  mouth  of  the  Demarara  riTer 
hearing  S.  S.  wT  and  it  being  the  rainy  season,  my  crew 
drew  up  water  from  the  sea  for  their  use,  which  was 
just  as  sweet  as  good  river  water.  The  current  occa- 
sioned by  the  trs^e  winds,  and  the  muBerous  rirsrs 
which  fall  into  the  sea,  carried  us  at  the  rate*  of;  four 
miles  an  hour  towards  the  west  and  north-west. 
[  In  the  evening  of  the  4th  of  August,  I  was  tacking 
about,  between  the  latitude  of  ten  and  twelve  degrees 
^  north,  with  a  fresh  breeze,  which  obhged  me  to  reef  my 
,  sails.  At  midnight,  finding  that  the  wind  increased  in  / 
proportion  as  the  moon,  then  on  the  wane,  rose  &bd% 
the  horizon,  and  that  my  bark,  which  was  deeply  l^ii^, 
labored  excessively,  I  would  not  retire  to  rest  tiH^the 
weather  became  more  moderate.  I  told  my  mate,  whose 
name  was  Williams,  to  bring  me  a  bottle  of  b^,  and  . 
both  sitting  down,  I  upon  a  hen-coop,  and  Williams  vtp- 
on  the  deck,  we  .began  to  tell  stor|es  to  pass  the  time, 
'according  to  the  custom  of  :nariners  of  every  country. 
The  vessel  suddenly  turned  with  her  broadside  to  wind- 
ward :  I  called  to  one  of  the  seamen  to  put  the  helm  a 
weather,  but  he  replied  it  had  been  so  for  sofijie  time. 
I  directed  my  mate  to  see  if  the  cords  were  noHpntangled : 
he  informed  me  that  they  were  not.  At  this  moment  the 
vessel  swung  round  with  her  head  to  the  sea,  and  plung- 
ed ;  her  head  filled  in  such  a  manner  that  she  could  not 
rise  above  the  surf,  which  broke  over  us  to  the  height 
of  the  anchor  stocks,  and  we  were  presently  up  to  our 
necks  in  water ;  every  thing  in  the  cf^bin  was  washed 
away.  Some  of  the  crew,  which  consisted  of  nine  men. 
Were  drowned  in  their  hammocks,  without  a  cry  or  groan. 
When  the  wave  had  passed,  I  took  the  hatchet  that  was 
hanging  up  near.the  fireplace,  to  cut  away  the  shrouds 
to  prevent  the  ship  from  upsetting,  but  in  vain.  She 
'  upset,  and  turned  over  again,  with  her  masts  and  sails 
'  in  the  water ;  the  horses  rolled  one  over  the  other  and 
were  drowned,   forming  altogether  a  most  melanche^ij^  * 

spectacle.  ^ ^' 

I  had  but  one  small  boat,  about  twdve  or  thirteen 


■V? 


■i   1 


»  :■  i 


-*•♦: 


ly*""^ 


"3P« 


,.  I..   II,  .mum mi 


m 


SSMABKABLB  IBIPWRBOIS. 


■ 


^<«p-' 


long;  she  was  fixed,  with  a  cable  coiled  inside  of  her 
between  the  pump  and  the  side  of  the  ship.  Providen- 
tially for  our  preservation  there  was  nl^  occasion  to  lash 
her  fast ;  but  we  at  this  time  entertained  no  hope  of  see- 
ing her  again,  as  the  large  cable  within  her,  together  with 
the  weight  of  the  horses,  and  their  stalls  entangled  one 
aimonganother,  prevented  her  from  rising  to  the  surfiauje 
of  the  water. 

^'""■:  In  this  dreadful  situation,  holding  by  the  shrouds,  and 
stripping  off  my  clothes,  I  looked  round  me  for  some 
plank  or  empty  box  to  preserve  my  Ufe  as  long  as  it 
should  please  the  Almighty,  when  I  perceived  my  mate 

jnd  t^o  seamen  hanging  by  a  rope,  and  imploring  God 
td  jTeceive  their  souls.    I  told  them  that  the  man  who 

^wi^  not  resigned  to  die  when  it  pleased  the  Creator  to 
call  him  out  of  the, world  was  not  fit  to  live.  I  advised 
them  to  undress  as  I  had  done,  and  to  endeavor  to  seize 
4he  6xai  object  that  could  assist  them  in  preserving  their 
lives.  Williams  followed  my  advice^  stripped  himself 
quite  naked,  and  betook  himself  to  swimmmg,  looking 
out  for  whatever  he  could  find.  .  A  moment  afterwards 
he  cried  out,  ''Here  is  the  boat,  keel  uppermost!"  I  im- 
mMiately  swam  to  him,  and  found  him  holding  the  boat 
by  the  ^Bl.  We  then  set  to  work  to  turn  her,  but  in 
vain ;  atiength,  however,  Williams,  who  was  the  hea- 
viest and  strongest  of  the  two,  contrived  to  set  his  feet 
against  the  gunwale  of  the  boat,  laying  hold  of  the  keel 
with  his  hands,  and  with  a  violent  efibrt  nearly  succeed- 
ed in  overturning  her.  I  being  to  windward,  pushed 
and  lifted  her  up  with  my  shoulders  on  the  opposite  side. 
At  length,  with  the  assistance  of  the  surf,  we  turned  her 
over,  but  she  was  full  of  water.  I  ,got  into  her,  and  en- 
deavored by  the  means  of  a  rope  belonging  to  the  rig- 
ging fo  draw  her  to  the  mast  of  the  vessel.  In  the  in- 
tervals between  the  waves  the  mast  always  rose  to  the 
height  of  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  above  the  water.  I  passed 
the  end  of  the  rope  fastened  to  the  boat  once  round  th0» 
head  of  the  mast,  keeping  hold  of  the  end ;  each  time 
that  the  mast  rose  out  of  the  water,  it  lifte4  up  both  the 
t  and  me;  I  then  let  go  the  rope,  and  by  this  expe- 


* 


LOSS  OF  T^B  flLOpF  BVfSY.  ,^^ 

di^it  the  boat  was  three-fourths  emptied;  but  h&vins 
nothing  to  enable  me  to  disengage  her  from  the  mast  ana 
shrouds,  they  fell  down  upon  me,  driving  the  boat  and 
me  again  under  water. 

After  repeated  attempts  to  empty  her,  in  which  I  was 
cruelly  wounded  and  bruised.  1  began  to  haul  the  boat, 
filled  with  water,  towards  the  vessel,  by  the  shrouds; 
but  the  bark  had  sunk  by  thjs  time  to  such  a  depth,  that 
only  a  small  part  of  her  stern  wa%,  to  be  seen,  upon 
which  my  mate  and  two  other  seamen  were  holding  last  \ 
by  a  rcme.  I  threw  myself  into  the  water,  with  the  rope 
of  the  boat  in  the  mouth,  and  swam  towards  them  to 
give  them  the  end  to  lay  hold  of^  hoping,  by  our  imited 
strength,  that  we  should  be  able  to  haul  Hie  boatlots^r 
the  stem  of  the  vessel ;  we  exerted  our  utmost  efibrts, 
and  at  this  moment  I  nearly  had  my  thigh  broken  Iby  a 
shock  of  the  boat,  being  between  her  and  the  ship.  At 
length  we  succeeded  in  hauling  her  over  the  stem,  but 
had  the  misfortune  to  break  a  hole  in  her  bottom  in  this 
manoeuvre.  As  soon  as  my  thigh  was  a  little  recovered 
^om  the  blow,  I  jumped  into  her  with  one  of  the  men, 
and  stopped  the  leak  with  a  piece  of  his  coarse  shirt.  It 
was  extremely  fortunate  for  us  that^  ^is  QUian  did  not 
know  how  to  swim;  it  will  soon  b4|^^  'Wj^  bendlt 
we  derived  from  his  ignorance >  na^ittiot  D^  for  this 
we  must  all  have  perished.  Bein^  Unable  to  swim,  he 
had  not  stripped,  and  had  thus  preserved  his  coarse 
shirt,  a  knife  that  was  in  his  pocket,  a^  an  enormous 
hat,  in  the  Dutch  fashion.  The  boat  being  fastened  to 
the  rigging,  was  no  sooner  cleared  of  the  greatest  part 
of  the  water  than  a  dog  of  mine  came  to  me,  running 
along  the  gunwale;  I  took  him  in,  thanking  Providence  « 
for  na\ring  thus  sent  provision  for  a  time  of  necessity. 
A  moment  after  the  dog  bad  entered,  the  rope  broke  with 
A  jerk  of  the  vessel,  and  I  found  myself  drifting  away. 
{  called  my  mate  and  the  other  man,  who  swam  to  me : 
the  former  had  fortunately  found  a  small  spare  top-mast, 
which  served  us  for  a  rudder.  We  assisted  tne  two 
others  to  get  in^  the  boat,  ^d  mm  Ipst  sight  of  our  ill- 
ftyted  bftrk.    '"''""■"'•^  ■^■■'■■'  ■''■'**^  ^^'  '''■''  <'^  ^     - 


.it3    .w^)di  lmismu\  Uit^  »!:. 


182 


'jillMAkKlBLB  BtalPWBlOCS. 


;t 


■t 


?*' 


M  ^^SW' 


It  was  then  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  as  I  judged 
hy  the  dawn  of  day,  which  hegan  to  appear,  eo  that 
ahout  two  hours  had  elapsed  since  we  were  obliged  to 
abandon  her.  What  prevented  her  from  founderilig 
sooner  was  my  having  taken  on  board  about  orne  hun- 
dred and  fifty  barrels  of  biscilit.  as  many  or  more  casks 
of  flour,  and  three  hundred  firkins  of  butter,  all  which 
substances  float  upon  the  watw,  and  are  soaked  through 
but  slowly  and  Vy  degrees.  As  soon  as  we  were  clear 
of  the  wreck,  we  kept  the  boat  t«fore  the  wind  as  well 
as  we  could,  and  When  it  grew  light  I  perceived  several 
articles  that  had  floate^  from  the  vessel.  I  perceived  my 
box  of  clothes  and  linen,  which  had  been  carried  out  of 
the  cabin  by  the  violence  of  the  waves.  I  felt  an  emo- 
tion of  joy.  The  box  contained  some  bottles  of  orange 
and  lime  water,  a  leiv  pounds  of  chocolate,  sugar,  Ike. 
Reaching  over  the  gunwale  of  our  boat  we  laid  hold  of 
the  box,  and  used  every  eflbrt  to  open  it  on  the  water, 
for  we  could  not  think  of  getting  it  into  the  boat,  being 
of  a  size  and  weight  sufficient  to  sink  her.  In  spite  of 
all  qiir  endeavors  we  could  not  force  Open  the  lid ;  We 
were  obliged  to  leave  it  behind,  with  all  the  good  things 
it  containjadt  and  to  increase  our  distress  we  had  by  this 
elTort  almmt  filled  our  boat  with  water,  and  had  more 
than  once  nearly  sunk  her. 

We,  however,  had  the  good  foriune  to  pick  up  thir- 
teen onions ;  we  saw  many  more,  but  were  unable  to 
reach  them.  These  thirteen  onions  and  my  dog,  with- 
out a  single  drop  of  fresh  water,  or  any  liquor  whatever, 
were  all  that  we  had  to  subsist  upon.  We  were,  ac- 
cording to  my  computation,  above  fifty  leases  from  land, 
having  neither  mdst,  sails,  nOr  pars,  to  direct  us,  nor  any 
kin4  pf  S'^ticles  besides  the  knife  of  the  sailor  who  could 
ntif  swim,  his  shirt,  a  piece  of  whicb  we  had  already 
used  to  stop  the  leak  in  our  boat,  and  his  wide  trousers. 
We  this- day  cut  the  remainder  of  his  shirt  into  strips, 
which  we  twisted  for  rigging,  and  then  fell  to  work  al- 
ternately to  loosen  the  planks  with  which  the  boat  was 
lined,  cutting,  by  dint  of  time  and  patience,  all  round  the 
hdads  of  the  nails  that  fastened  them.    Of  tl|e'se  planks 


i^  .». 


«'-^ 


•  • 


..tftt    v.. 


:St. 


LOSS  OF  TRB  SLOOP  BST8T. 


M 


we  made  a  Kind  of  mast,  which  we  tied  to  the  ioremaiC 
Itench ;  a  piece  of  board  was  substituted  for  a  yard,  Vti 
which  we  fastened  the  two  parts  of  the  trousers,  which 
served  for  sails,  and  assisted  us  in  keeping  the  boat  b<^ 
fore  the  wind,  steering  with  the  top-mast  as  mentioned 
before. 

As  the  pieces  of  plank  whfcli'Slir^  had  detached  ^om 
the  inside  of  the  boat  were  too  short,  ^nd  were  not  suf- 
ficient to  go  quite  round  the  edge,  when  the  sea  ran  very 
high,  we  were  obliged,  in  order  to  prevent  the  waves , 
from  entering  the  boat,  to  He  down  several  times  alou^ 
the  gunwale  on  each  side,  with  our  backs  to  the  watei^ 
and  thus  with  our  bodies  to  repel  the  surf,  while  th» 
other,  with  the  Dutch  hat,  was  incessantly  employed  in 
bailing  out  the  water ;  besides  which  the  boat  continued 
to  make  Water  at  the  leak,  which  we  were  unable  en- 
tirely to  stop^^ 

melancholy  situatioii,  and  stark  naked, 

boat  before  the  wind  as  well  as  We 

t  of  the  first  day  after  our  shipwreck 

had  well  completed  our  sail ;  it  grew 

, jrived  to  keep  our  boat  running  before 

tl;ie  wind,  at  trie  rate  of  about  a  league  an  Hlur.  The 
second  day  was^more  calm;  we  each  eat  an  onion,  at 
different  times,' and  began  to  feel  thirst.  In  the  night 
of  the  seqond  day  the  wind  became  violent  and  Variable, 
and  sometimes  blowing  from  the  north,  which  caused  me 
great  uneasiness,  being  obliged  to  steer  south^  in  order 
to  keep  the  boat  before  the  wind,  Whereas  we  bould  only 
hope  to  be  saved  A)y  proceeding  from  east  to  west.        ''.j  "' 

Tlm^t^4&y  we  began  to  su^er  exceedingly,  not  bnly^ 
from  hunger  and  thirst,  but  likewise  from ,  the  Iji 
the  sun,  whicil^ioribhed  us  in  s^ch  a  manner,  l^i " 
the  neck  to  th|»  feet  bur  skin  was  as  red  and  as 
blisters  as  if  w^  had  been  burned  by  a  fire.     I 
ed  niy  dbg  and  plunged  the  knife  m  his  throa(. 
not  even  now  retrain  from  weeping  at  the  thbti 
but  at  the  moment  I  felt  not  the  least  com] 
hiin.     W«»  caught  his  blood  in  the  hat,  recei 
hands  and  Ibrinking  what  ran  over :  we  afterwan 


I .  It  was  in  ti 

arrived  be: 
dark,  and  we 


■^ 


P-^M 


vu 


EIMABKABLX  BBIPWBBCKS. 


■w^ 


«l 


in  turn  out  of  the  hat,  and  felt  ourselves  refreshed.  Thci 
ipurth  day  the  wind  was  extremely  violent,  and  the  sea 
ran  very  bi^h,  so  that  we  were  more  than  once  on  the 
point  or  perishing ;  it  was  on  this  day  in  particular  that 
we  were  obliged  to  make  a  ramp^t  of  our  bodies  in  or- 
der to  repel  the  waves.  About  noon  a  ray  of  hope  dawn- 
ed npon  us,  but  soon  vanished. 

We  perceived  jl  sloop,  commanded  by  captain  Sou- 
they,  which,  like  my  vessel,  belonged  to  the  ibland  of 
Barbadoes,  and  was  bound  to  Demarara ;  we  could  see 
the  crew  walking  upon  the  deck,  and  shouted  to  thorn, 
but  were  never  seen  nor  heard.  Being  obliged,  by  the 
violence  of  the  gale,  to  keep  our  boat  before  the  w  ind, 
for  fear  of  foundering,  we  had  passed  her  a  great  dis- 
tance before  she  crotiied  us ;  she  steered  direct  south,  and 
we  bearing  away  to  the  west.  Captain  Southey  was 
one  of  my  particular  friends.  This  disappointment  so 
discourased  my  two  seamen  that  they  refused  to  endea- 
vor any  longer  to  save  their  lives.  In  sauio  of  all  I  cpuld 
say,  one  of  them  would  do  nothing,  qVc  Mn  bair||kit 
the  water  which  gained  upon  us;  1  htfd  recourse  tcrlh- 
treaties ;  fell  at  his  knees,  but  he  remained  unmoved. 
My  matc^ipnd  I,  at  length,  prevailed  upon  him,  by  threat- 
enmg  to  kill  him  instantly  with  the  top-mast,  which  we 
used  to  steer  by,  and  to  kill  ourselves  afterwards,  tr>  put 
a  period  to  our  misery.  This  menace  made  some  im- 
pression on  him,  and  he  resumed  his  employment  of  bail- 
ing as  before.  ,  J^  ,' ;  .^  ^ ,    , ,  "^ ;  ' 

On  this  day  I  set  the  others  the  exaiU]iMibf  Ratine  a 
piece  of  the  dog  with  some  onions ;  it  was  with  difficulty 
that  I  swallowed  a  few  mouthfuls ;  but  in  ad Ju2ur  I  felt 
that  this  morsel  of  food  had  given  me  vi 

was  of  a  much  stronger  consti 

L^p^ve  me  much^^leasure ;  one 

m  tasted  it,  but  the  other^  whose 

nther  -rould  not  or  could  not  swal 
le  fifth  day  was  more  calm,  and 
smoother.      At  daybreak  we    i)erceived 
slpiJE,  M  large  as  our  boat,  w'lidi  foUowedbats  several 
i^ius,  9S  a  prey  that  was  destined  for  hjim«i^^  We  'also 


l^paate, 
^  eat  more, 
!e  ts^p  men 
e  was  Cpiu- 
a'morsei.y 
the  sea  much 
a^  enormous 


ip* 


%■ 


itme  a 
ficulty 
I  felt 
k^iate,  ^ 
more, 
»  men 
Com- 
sei. 
much 
>rmoii8 
several 
^e  *9\w 


LOM  or  TBI  iLoor  nnr. 


M 


foand  in  our  boat  a  flying-flsh,  which  had  dropped  (her» 
during  the  night ;  we  dividea  it  into  foor  parts,  whidi 
we  chewed  to  moisten  our  mouths.  It  was  on  this  day 
that,  when  pressed  with  hunger  and  despair,  my  mate, 
WiUiams,  had  the  generosity  to  exhort  as  to  cut  off  a 
piece  of  his  thi^  to  refresh  ourselres  with  the  blood, 
and  to  support  hfe.  In  the  night  we  had  several  show* 
ers,  with  some  wind.  We  tried  to  get  some  rain  water 
by  wringing  the  trousers  which  served  us  for  a  sail,  but 
when  we  caught  it  in  our  mouths  it  proved  to  be  as  salt 
as  th^t  of  the  sea;  the  trousers  having  been  so  often 
soaked  with  sea-water,  that  they,  as  well  as  tlie  hat,' 
were  quite  impregnated  with  MUt.  Thus  we  had  no 
other  resource  but  to  open  our  mouths  and  catch  the 
drOps  of  rain  upon  our  tongues,  in  order  to  cool  them : 
afior  the  shower  was  over  we  again  fastened  the  trou- 
sers to  the  mast 

On  the  sixth  day  the  two  seamen,  notwithstanding  all 
my  remonstrances,  drank  sea-water,  which  pur||ed  them 
so  excessively  that  the/  fell  into  a  kind  of  delirium,  and 
were  of  no  more  service  to  Williams  and  me.  Both  he 
and  I  kept  a  nail  in  our  mouths,  and  often  sprinkled  our 
heads  with  water  to  cool  them.  I  perceivea  myself  the 
better  for  these  ablutions,  and  that  my  head  was  mora 
easy.  We  tried  several  times  to  eat  of  the  dog's  flesh, 
with  a  morsel  of  onion ;  but  I  thought  myself  fortunate 
if  I  could  get  down  three  or  four  inouthfnls.  My  mate 
always  eat  rather  mor?  than  I  could. 
bThe  seventh  day  was  fine,  with  a  moderate  breeze, 
and  the  sea  perfectly  calm.  About  noon  the  two  men 
who  had  drank  sea-water  grew  so  weak  that  thev  be- 
gan to  talk  wildly,  like  people  who  are  light-headeor  not 
knowing  any  longer  whether  they  were  at  seat  oi  on' 
shore.  My  mate  and  t  were  so  weak  too  that  we^uld 
scarcely  stand  on  our  legs,  or^ke^  the  boatin  our^nrns, 
or  bail  the  water  from  the  boat,  which  made  i>  greai^ 
deal  at  the  leak. 

In  the  morning  of  the  eighth  day,  John  Comingr.  died, ;. 
and  three  hours  afterwards  George  Simpson  likewkseex-' 

TThe  same  evening,  at  sunset,  we  bad  the  inex- 
_^  11*  ftmiU).. 


"  «.*■■ 


..!._.   .17,^tili.l^....i.;. 


UMidlKAILB   SHirWBIOKf. 


prattible  aaUsfaction  of  discovering  the  high  lancb  oo 
the  west  point  of  the  island  of  Tobago.  Hope  gave  us 
strength.  We  kept  the  head  of  the  boat  towards  the 
land  all  night,  with  a  li^ht  breexe,  ?nd  a  current  which' 
was  in  our  favor.  Williams  and  I  were  that  night  in  an 
extraordinary  situation,  our  two  comrades  lying  dead 
before  us,  with  the  land  in  sight,  having  very  little  wind 
to  approach  it,  and  being  assisted  only  by  the  current, 
which  drove  strongly  to  Uie  westward.  In  the  morning 
we  were  not,  according  to  my  computation,  more  than 
five  or  six  leagues  from  the  land.  That  happy  day  was 
the  last  of  our  sufferings  at  sea.  We  kept  steering  the 
boat  the  whole  day  towards  the  shore,  though  we  were 
no  longer  able  to  stand.  In  the  evening  the  wind  lulled, 
and  it  fell  calm ;  but  about  two  o'clock  in  the  morning 
the  current  cast  us  oi^  t^e  beach  of  the  island  of  Toba- 
go, at  the  foot  of  a  high  shore,  between  little  Tobago 
and  Man-of-War  "bay,  which  is  the  easternmost  part  of 
the  island.  The  boat  soon  bilged  with  the  shock ;  my 
unfortunate  companion  anci  I  crawled  to  the  shore,  leav- 
ing the  bodies  of  our  two  comrades  in  the  boat,  and  the 
remainder  of  the  dog,  which  was  quite  putrid. 

We  clambered,  as  well  as  we  could,  on  all  fours,  along 
the  high  coast,  which  rose  almost  perpendicularly  to  the 
height  of  three  or  four  hundred  feet.  A  great  quantity 
of  leaves  had  dropped  down  to  the  place  where  we  were 
from  the  numerous  trees  over  our  heads ;  these  we  col-* 
lected,  and  lay  down  upon  them  to  wait  for  daylight 
When  it  began  to  dawn  we  sought  about  for  water,  and 
found  some  in  the  holes  of  the  rocks,  but  it  was  brack- 
ish, and  not  fit  to  drink.  .We  perceived  on  the  rocks 
around  us  several  kinds  of  shell-fish,  some  of  which  we 
broke  open  with  a  stone,  and  chewed  them  to  moisten 
bur  UMiths. 

BiRreen  eight  and  nin^'clock  we  were  perceived  by 
a  young  Caraib,  who  was  sometimes  walking  and  at 
others  swimming  towards  the  boat.  As  soon  as  he  had 
reached  it  he  called  his  companions  with  loud  shouts, 
making  signs  of  the  greatest  compassion.  His  comrades 
instanuy.  followed  him,  and  swam  towards  us,  hiui 
peroeiFod  us  almost  at  the  same  time.       ^i  ^ 


.;-^- 


Jsj- 


LOM   or  THB  SLOOr   BITBY. 


m^ 


f^i 


The  oldest,  who  was  about  sixty,  approached  us.  with 
the  two  youngest,  whom  we  afterwaras  foimd  to  be  hit 
son  and  son-in-law.  At  the  siffht  of  us  the  tears  flowed 
from  their  eyes :  I  endeavored  by  words  and  signs  to 
make  them  comprehend  that  we  had  been  nine  days  at. 
sea,  in  want  of  every  thing.  They  imderstood  a  few 
French  worcU,  and  signified  that  they  would  fetch  a  boat 
to  convey  us  to  their  nut.  ■  The  old  man  took  a  hand- 
kerchief from  his  head  and  tied  it  round  mine,  and  one  of 
the  young  Caraibs  gave  Williams  his  straw  hat;  the 
other  swam  routid  the  projecting  rock  and  brought  us  a 
calabash  of  fresh  water,  some  cakes  of  cassava,  and  a 
piece  of  broiled  fish,  but  we  could  not  eat.  The  two' 
others  took  the  two  corpses  out  of  the  boat,  and  laid 
them  upon  the  rock,  after  whi6h  all  three  of  them  hauled 
the  boat  out  of  the  water.  They  then  .left  us,  with 
marks  of  the  utmost  compassion,  and  went  to  fetch  their 
canoe. 

About  noon  they  returned  in  their  canoe,  to  the  num- 
ber of  six,  ahd  brought  with  them,  in  an  earthen  pot, , 
some  soup  which  we  thought  delicious.    We  took  a  lit-> 
tie,  but  my  stomach  was  so  weak  that  I  immediately 
cast  it  up  again.    Williams  did  not  vomit  at  all.    In 
less  than  two  hours  we  arrived  at  Man-of-War  bay. 
where  the  huts  of  the  Caraibs  are  situated.    They  had. 
only  one  hanunock,  in  which  they  laid  me,  and  the  wo-t 
man*made  us  a  very  agreeable  mess  of  herbs  and  broth 
of  quatracas  and  pigeons.     They  bathed  my  wounds, 
which  were  full  of  worms,  with  a  decoction  of  tobacco 
and  other  plants.     Every  morning  the  man  lifted  me  out, 
of  the  hammock,  and  carried  me  in  his  arms  beneath  a! 
lemoi^m^,  whei'e  he  ooyered  me  with  planjtain  leaves  to  ■ 
screen  ail  from  the  sun.    There  they  anointed  our  bo- 
dies witlOi  kind  of  pil  to  cure  the  blisters  raised  In^e 
sun.    Our  compassionate  hosft  even  had  the  geneJt^itv , 
to  give  each  of  us  a  shirt  and  a  pair  of  trousers,  whtcn/ 
they  had  procured  from  the  ships  that  came  froj 
time  to  trade  with  them  for  turtles  and  tortoise  si 

After  they  had  cleansed  my  wounds  of  the  y.\ 
thfiY  kept  me  with  my  legs  suspended  in  tfe^f^J^ 


if'. 


m 


•s. 


KEMAfiKifiLE  8HIPWSEC 


iLt'-' 


'    \ 


■  ! 


% 
■« 


alr.jmted  them  morning  and  evening  ivith  an  oil  extract- 
ed from  the  tail  of  a  small  crab,  resembling  virhat  the 
English  call  the  soldier-crab,  because  its  shell  is  red. 
They  take  a  certain  quantity  of  these  crabs,  bruise  the 
ends  of  their  tails,  ana  put  them  to  digest  in  a  large  shell 
upon  the  fire,  it  was  with  this  omtment  that  they 
healed  my  wounds,  covering  them  with  nothing  but 
plantain  leaves. 

Thanks  to  the  nourishing  food  procured  us  by  the  Ca- 
raibs,  and  their  humane  attention,  I  was  able,  in  about 
three  weeks,  to  support  myself  upon  crutches,  like  a 

Seri^n  recovering  from  a  severe  illness.  The  natives 
ocked  from  all  parts  of  the  island  to  see  us,  and  never 
came  empty  handed ;  sometimes  bringing  eggs,  and  at 
others  fowls,  which  were  given  with  pleasure,  mid  ac- 
cepted with  gratitude.  We  even  had  visiters  from  the 
island  of  Trinidad.  I  cut  my  name  with  a  knife  upon 
several  boards,  and  ^ave  them  to  different  Caraibs,  to 
show  them  to  any  ships  which  chance  might  conduct  to 
the  coast.  We  almost  despaired  of  seeing  any  arrive, 
when  a  sloop  from  Oronoko,  laden  with  mules  and 
bound  to  St.  Pierre,  in  the  island  of  Martinique,  touched 
at  the  sandy  point  on  the  west  side  of  Tobago.  The 
Indians  showed  the  crew  a  plank  upon  which  my' name 
Was  carved,  and  acquainted  them  with  our  situation. 
Upon  the  arrival  of  this  vessel  at  St.  Pierre,  thos^  on 
board  related  the  circumstance.  Several  merchants  of 
my  acquaintance,  who  traded  under  Dutch  colors,  hap;^ 
pened  to  be  there :  they  transmitted  the  information  to 
my  owners,  Messrs.  Roscoe  and  Nyles,  who  instantly 
despatched  a'  small  vessel  in  quest  of  us.  Aft|t  Joying 
about  nine  weeks  with  thvl  benevolent  and  j9H|'Ka^I<) 
tribe  of  savages,  I  embarked  and  left  them,  ^IRim'  my 
regjMp.U  as  equal  to  the  ii^y  jtnd  surprise  I  iiad  expe^c^-. 
encMTat  meeting  with  theim.  '  ♦, 

Whe?i  we  ^ere  ready  to  depart  they  furnished  us  with 
l«oi1n^tDd!&nt  supply  of  bananas,  figs,  yams,  fowls,  fish, 
pjiavlrtttts ;  particularly  oranges  and  lemons.    I  had  no- 
^tkinlfitD  giv0  them  as  an  acknowledgment  of  their  gene- 
rous tireftti^idht  but  my  boat,  which  they  had  replied, 


;^-.. .  i-^-.v    ..  v'i..-' 


■*  L^  :i 


-  -T^y 


with 
fish, 
dno- 
[cne- 
ired, 


LOIS  OF  m  SLOOP  BETSY. 


.I8f 


and  used  for  occasionally  visiting  their  nests  of  turtles: 
being  larger  than  their  canoes,  it  was  much  more  it  for 
that  purpose.  Of  this  I  made  tliem  a  present,  and  would 
have^iven  them  my  blood.  My  friend,  captain  Young, 
assisted  me  to  remunerate  my  benefactors.  He  gave  me 
all  the  rum  he  had  with  him,  being  about  seven  or  eight 
bottles,  which  I  likewise  presented  to  them.  He  al8f> 
gave  them  several  shirts  and  trousers,  some  knives,  fish- 
hooks, sail-cloth  for  the  boat,  with  needles  and  ropes. 

At  length,  after  two  days  spent  in  preparations  for  our 
departure,  we  were  obliged  to  separate.  They  came 
down  to  the  beach  to  the  number  of  about  thirty,  men, 
women  and  children,  and  all  appeared  to  feel  the  sincer- 
est  sorrow,  especially  the  old  man,  who  had  acted  like  a 
father  to  me.  When  the  vessel  left  the  bay,  the  tears 
flowed  from  our  eyes,  which  still  continued  fixed  upon 
them.  They  remained  standing  in  a  line  upon  the  shore 
till  they  lost  sight  of  us.  As  we  set  sail  about  nine 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  steering  north-east,  and  as  Man- 
of-War  bay  is  situated  at  the  north-east  point  of  the 
island,  we  were  a  long  time  in  sight  of  each  other.  I 
still  recollect  the  moment  when  they  disappeared  from 
my  sight,  and  the  profound  regret  which  fill^  my  heart. 
I  feared  that  I  should  never  again  be  so  happy  as  I  had 
been  among  them.  1  loved  them,  and  will  continue  fo 
love  my  dear  Caraibs  as  long  us  I  live ;  I  would  ribed 
my  blood  for  the  first  of  those  benevolent  savages  that 
might  stand  in  need  of  my  assistance,  if  chance  should 
ever  bring  one  of  them  to  Europe,  or  my  destiny  should 
again  conduct  me  to  their  island. 

In  three  days  we  arrived  at  Barbadoes.'-  I  continued 
to  have  a  violent  oppression  on  my  breast,  which  checked 
respiratJMD,  and  was  not  y^  able  to  go  without  crutehea.^ 
We  received  from  the  whole  island  marks  of  the{4Qosl^ 
tender  interest,  and  the  most  generous  compassion;  ]li||| 
benevolence  of  the  inhabitants  was  unbounded.  The 
celebrated  Dr.  Hilery,  the  author  of  a  treatise  on  the 
diseases  peculiar  to  that  island,  came  to  see  me,  together 
with  Dr.  Lilihorn.  They  prescribed  various  remedies, 
but^'\irithout  effect.    Both  Williams  and  myself  were 


**' 


130. 


REMAHKABLB  8BIPWKBCKS. 


k 


unable  to  speak  without  the  greatest  difficulty.  Wik 
liams  remained  at  Barbadoes,  but  I,  being  more  affected, 
and  less  robust,  was  advised  to  return  to  Europe.  In 
compliance  with  their  advice  I  went  to  London,  where  I 
was  attended  by  doctors  Reeves,  Akenside,  Schomberg« 
and  the  most  celebrated  physicians  of  that  metropolis, 

«  who  gave  me  all  the  assistance  within  the  power  of  their 
art,  frcnn  which  I  received  scarcely  any  relief.  At 
length,  after  I  had  been  about  a  week  in  London,  Dr. 
Alexander  Russell,  on  his  return  from  Bath,  heard  my 
case  mentioned.  He  came  to  see  me,  and  with  his  ac- 
customed humanity  promised  to  undertake  my  cure, 
without  any  fee ;  but  lie  candidly  acknowledged  that  it 
would  be  both  tedious  and  expensive.  I  replied  that  the 
generosity  of  the  inhabitants  of  Barbadoes  had  rendered 
me  easy  on  that  head,  entreating  him  to  prescribe  for 
me,  and  thanking  him  for  his  obliging  offers. 
««  As  he  had  practised  for  a  long  tin^e  at  Aleppo,  he 
had  there  seen  great  numbers  afflicted  with  the  same 
malady  as  myself,  produced  by  long  thirst  in  traversing 
the  deserts  of  Africa.  He  ordered  me  to  leave  town  to 
enjoy  a  more  wholesome  air.  I  took  a  lodging  at  Ho- 
merton,  near  Hackney ;  there  he  ordered  me  to  be  bathed 
every  morning,  confining  me  to  asses'  milk  as  my  only 
food,  excepting  a  few  new-laid  eggs,  together  with  mo- 
derate exercise,  and  a  ride  on  horseback  every  day. 
After  about  a  month  of  this  regimen  he  ordered  a  goat  to 
be  brought  every  morning  to  my  bedside;  about  five 
o'clock  f  drank  a  glass  of  her  milk,  quite  hot,  and  slept 
upon  it.  He  then  allowed  me  to  take  some  light  chicken 
broth,  with  a  morsel  oi  the  wing.  By  means  of  this 
diet  my  malady  was  in  a  great  degree  removed  in  the 
space  oif  about  five  months,  and  I  was  in  a  stete  to  re- 

.^  sumf  any  occupation  I  pleased ;  but  my  constitution  has 
«ver  since  been  extremely  delicate,  and  my  stomach  in 
particular  very  weak.f*'  ^»^-.  ■  ^     ■  >     fim'^kf^mm} 


•A:. 


po,  he    , 
9  same 


.«*.m«w  'ifws  ».m  A  »s  *.«>»« 


'.  <■' 


.■,  ;■;    ■  ,^r0^Hi>  htiM- /iiikhtm m.ii':'' /Mid 'it^ 

imm^rp-  --^  ■■■■■■''"  ^"'    '<  -   ••     ■■■     r,  .  ..i.-'.>    M./^ji^t/; 
m^im^    LOSS  OF  THE  BRIG  TYRREL.^<^««^  **« 

In  addition  to  the  many  dreadful  shipwrecks  already 
narrated,  the  following,  which  is  a  circmnstantial  account 
given  by  T.  Pumell,  chief  mate  of  the  brig  Tyrrel,  Ar- 
thur Cochlan,  commander,  and  the  only  person  among 
the  whole  crew  wlio  had  the  good  fortune  to  escape, 
claims  our  particular  attention.       *     .'"*  *  '"^  ,w  i^^S 

On  Saturday,  June  28th,  1759,  dSey  sfttleA  firoiii'  N*5# 
York  to  Sandy  Hook,  and  came  to  an  anchor,  waiting 
for  the  captain's  coming  down  with  a  new  boat,  and 
sone  other  articles.  Accordingly  he  came  on  board 
early  the  succeeding  morning,  and  the  boat  was  cleared, 
hoisted  in,  stowed  and  lashed.  At  eight  o'clock  A.  M. 
they  weighed  anchor,  sailed  out  of  Sandy  Hook,  and 
the  same  day,  at  noon,  took  their  departure  from  the 
highland  Neversink,  and  proceeded  on  their  passage  to 
Antigua.  As  soon  as  they  made  sail,  the  captain  or- 
dered the  boat  to  be  cast  loose,  in  order  that  she  mi^ht 
be  painted,  with  the  oars,  rudder,  and  tiller,  which  job 
he  (the  captain)  undertook  to  do  himself.  ''*"■  ^  ^^'  '^   '^' 

At  four  P.  M.  they  found  Ihe  vessel  madi^  d  little  ibbre 
water  than  usual ;  nut  as  it  did  not  cause  much  addi- 
tional labor  at  the  pump,  nothing  was  thought  of  it.  At 
eight,  the  leak  did  not  seem  to  increase.  At  twelre,  it 
began  to  blow  hard  in  squalls,  which  caused  the  vessel 
to  lie  down  very  much,  whereby  it  was  apprehend^ 
she  wanted  more  ballast.  Thereupon  the  captain  came 
on  deck,  being  the  starboard  watch ;  and  close-reefed 
both  top-sails.  "^ 

At  four  A.  M.  the  weather  moderated — let  out  botSt 
reefs.    At  eight  it  became  still  more  moderate,  and  they  ^'■ 
made  more  sail,  and  set  the  top-gallant  sails ;  the  wea-^ 
ther  was  still  thick  and  hazy.    There  was  no  further 
observation  takdn  at  present,  except  that  the  vessel  made 


A:%f. 


lai 


BKMARICABLB  SHIPWRECKS. 


more  water.    The  captain  was  now  chiefly  employed  in 
painting  the  boat,  oars,  rudder,  and  tiller. 

On  Monday,  June  30th,  at  four  P.  M.,  the  wind  was 
at  E.  N.  E.,  freshened  very  much,  and  blew  so  very  hard 
as  occasioned  the  brig  to  lie  along  in  such  a  manner  as 
caused  general  alarm.  The  captain  was  now  earnestly 
entreated  to  put  for  New  York,  or  steer  for  the  capes  of 
Yirginla.  At  eight,  took  in  top-gallant  sail,  and  close 
reefed  boUi  tq>-8ail8,  still  making  more  weather.  After- 
wards the  weather  became  still  more  moderate  and  fair, 
and  they  made  more  sail. 

July  1st,  at  four  A.  M.,  it  began  to  blow  in  squa..-^ 
very  hard;  took  in  one  reef  in  each  top-sail,  and  conti-w 
nued  so  until  eight  A.  M.,  the  weather  being  still  thick 
and  hazy. — No  observation. 

The  next  day  she  made  still  more  water,  but  as  every 
watch  pumped  it  out,  this  was  little  regarded.  At  four 
P.  M.  took  a  second  reef  in  each  top-sail,  close  reefed 
both,  and  down  top-gallant  yard;  the  gale  still  in- 
creasing. 

At  four  A.  M.  the  wind  got  round  to  north,  and  there 
was  no  likelihood  of  its  abating.  At  eight,  the  captain, 
well  satisfied  that  she  was  very  crank  and  ought  to  have 
had  more  ballast,  agreed  to  make  for  Bacon  Island  road, 
in  North  Carolina ;  and  in  the  very  act  of  wearing  her,  a 
sudden  gust  of  wind  laid  her  down  on  her  beam  ends, 
and  she  never  rose  again!  At  this  time  Mr.  Pumell 
was  lying  in  the  cabin,  with  his  clothes  on,  not  having 
pulled  them  off  since  they  left  land.  Having  been  rolled 
out  of  his  bed,  (on  his  chest,)  with  great  difficulty  he 
zclached  the  round-house  door.  The  first  salutation  he 
met  with  was  from  the  step-ladder  that  went  from  the 
auarter-deck  to  the  poop,  which  knocked  him  -against 
tne  companion ;  (a  lucky  circumstance  for  those  below, 
.a%  by  laying  the  laddbr  against  the  companion,  it  served 
,:  o$fei||im  and  the  rest  of  the  people  who  were  in  the 
^steerage  as  a  conveyance  to  windward ;)  having  trans- 
ported the  two  after  guns  forward  to  bring  her  more  by 
the  head,  in  order  to  m^ke  her  ho)d  a  better  wind :  thua 
they  got  through  the  aftermost  gtin-port  oh  the  quarter- 


'./ 


■*• 


tOSiS  OF  tHB  BRIO  TYttll^L. 


133 


9d  in 

was 
hard 
er  as 

lestly 
es  of 
close 
iifter- 
fair, 

[uaiis 

jonti-''^ 

thick 

four 
eefed 
1  ill- 
there 
(tain, 
have 
road, 
ler,  a 
snds, 
rnell 
iving 
oUed 
he 
n  he 

the 
ainflt 
slow, 
rved 

the 
'ans- 

by 
thus 
rter- 


deck,  and  being  all  on  her  broadside,  efirery  movable 
rolled  to  leeward ;  and  as  the  vessel  overset,  so  did  The 
boat,  and  turned-  bottom  uplvards.  Her  lashings  being 
cast  loose  by  order  of  the  captain,  and  having  no  other 
proiy)ect  of  saving  their  lives  but  by  the  boat,  Purnell, 
with  two  others,  and  the  cabin  boy,  who  were  excellent 
swimmers,  plunged  into  the  water,  and  with  gteat  diffi- 
culty righted  her,  when  she  was  brimful,  and  washing 
with  the  water's  edge.  They  then  made  fast  the  end  of 
the  main-sheet  to  the  ring  in  her  stem-post,  and  those 
who  were  in  the  fore-chains  sent  down  the  end  of  the 
3oom-tackle,  to  which  they  made  fast  the  boat's  painter, 
"^nd  by  which  they  lifted  her  a  little  out  of  the  water,  so 
that  she  swam  about  two  or  three  inches  free,  but  almost 
full.  "They  then  put  the  cabin  boy  into  her,  and  gave 
him  a  bucket  that  happened  -to  float  by,  and  he  bailed 
away  as  quick  as  he  could,  and  soon  after  another  person 
got  in  with  another  bucket,  and  in  a  short  time  got  all 
the  water  out  of  her.  They  then  put  two  long  oars  that 
were  stowed  in  the  larboard  quarter  of  the  'Tyrrel  into 
the  boat,  and  pulled  or  rowed  right  to  windward;  for,  as 
the  wreck  drifted,  she  made  a  dreadful  ap^urance  in 
the  water ;  and  Mr.  Purnell  and  two  of  the  people  put 
off  from  the  wreck,  in  search  of  the  oa  s,  rudder  and 
tiller.  After  a  long  while  they  succeeds  I  in  picking 
them  all  up,  one  after  another.  They  then  returned  to 
their  wretched  companions,  who  were  all  overjoyed  to 
see  them,  having  given  them  up  for  lost.  I 

By  this  time  night  drew  on  very  fast.  While  they 
were  rowing  in  the  boat,  some  small  quantity  of  white 
biscuit  (Mr,  Purnell  supposed  about  half  a  peck)  floated 
in  a  small  cask  out  of  the  round-house ;  but  before  it 
came  to  hand,  it  was  so  soaked  with  salt  water  that  it 
was  almost  in  a  fluid  state ;  and  about  double  the  quan- 
tity of  common  ship-biscuit  likewise  floated,  which  wa,<i 
in  like  manner  soaked.  This  was  all  the  provisions 
that  they  had ;  not  a  drop  of  fresh  water  Could  they  get ; 
neither  could  the  carpenter  get  at  any  <>f  the  tools  to 
scuttle  her  sides,  Or,  cpuld  this  have  been  ftecotQCplishe^ 
tfiey  might  have  saved  plenty  of  protisidns  and  ifatct.^. 


f 


%u 


^yi|4  REMARKABLE    SHIPWRECKS. 

By  this  time  it'  was  almost  dark.  Having  got  one 
compass,  it  was  determined  to  quit  the  wreck,  and  take 
their  chance  in  the  boat,  which  was  nineteen  feet  six 
inches  lon^,  and  six  feet  four  inches  broad :  Mr.  Purnell 
supposes  It  was  now  about  nine  o'clock:  it  was  very 
dark.  They  had  run  three  hundred  and  sixty  miles  by 
their  dead  reckoning,  on  a  S.  E.  by  E.  course.  The 
number  in  the  boat  was  seventeen  in  all ;  the  boat  was 
very  deep,  and  little  hopes  were  entertained  of  either 
seeing  land  or  surviving  long.  The  wind  got  round  to 
westward,  which  was  the  course  they  wanted  to  steer; 
but  it  be^^an  to  blow  and  rain  so  very  hard,  that  they 
were  obhged  to  keep  the  boat  before  the  wind  and  sea^ 
in  order  to  preserve  her  above  water.  Soon  after  they 
had  put  off  from  the  wreck  the  boat  shipped  two  heaVy 
seas,  one  after  another,  so  that  they  were  obliged  to  keep 
her  before  the  wind  and  sea ;  for  had  she  shipped  another 
sea,  she  certainly  would  have  swamped  with  them. 

By  sunrise  the  next  morning,  July  3d,  they  judged 
that  they  had  been  running  E.  S.  E.,  which  was  contra- 
ry to  their  wishes.  The  wind  dying  away,  the  weather 
became  very  moderate.  The  compass  which  they  had 
saved  proved  of  no  utility,  one  of  the  people  having  trod 
upon  ^nd  broken  it ;  i^t  was  accordingly  thrown  over- 
board. They  now  proposed  to  make  a  sail  of  frocks  and 
trousers,  but  they  had  got  neither  needles  nor  sewing- 
twine:  one  of  the  people  however  had  a  needle  in  his 
knife,  and  another  several  fishing  lines  in  his  pockets, 
which  were  unlaid  by  some,  and  others  were  employed 
in  ripping  the  frocks  and  trousers.  By  sunset  they  had 
provided  a  tolerable  lugsail:  having  split  one  of  the 
boat's thwarts,( which  was  of  yellow  deal,)  with  a  very 
large  knife  which  one  of  the  crew  had  m  his  pocket, 
they  made  a  yard  and  lashed  it  together  by  the  strands 
of  the  fore-top-gallant  halliards,  that  were  thrown  into 
ihe  boat  promiscuously.  They  also  made  a  mast  of  one 
of  the  long  oars,  and  set  their  sails  with  sheets  and 
tacks  made  out  of  the  strands  of  the  top-gallant  halliards. 
Their  only  guide  was  the  north  star.  They  had  a  tole- 
rably good  breeze  all  night;  and  the  whole  of  the  nei^t 


I.OM  or  THS  BBIO  TYABBL. 


M» 


day,  July  4th,  the  weather  continued  very  moderate,  and 
the  people  were  in  as  good  spirits  as  their  dreadful  situar- 
tion  would  permit. 

July  5th,  the  wind  and  weather  continued  much  the 
same,  and  they  l^new  by  the  north  star  that  ^ey  were 
standina;  in  for  land.  The  next  day  Mr.  Purnell  okKserved 
some  of  the  men  drinking  salt  water,  and  seeming  rather 
fatigued.  At  this  time  they  imagined  the  wind  had  got 
round  to  the~  southward,  and  they  steered,  as  they 
thought,  by  the  north  star,  to  the  north-west  quarter: 
but  on  the  7th,  the  wind  had  got  back  to  the  northward 
and  blew  very  fresh.    They  got  their  oars  out  the  great- 

"^est  part  of  the  night;  and  the  next  day,  the  wind  still 
dying  away,  the  people  labored  alternately  at  the  oars, 
without  distinction.  About  noon  the  wind  sprung  up  so 
that  they  lay  on  their  oars,  and,  as  thoy  thought,  steered 
about  N.  N.  W.,  and  continued  so  until  about  eight  or 
nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  July  9th,  when  they  all 
thought  they  were  upcm  soundings,  by  the  coldness  of 
the  water.  They  were  in  general  in  very  good  spirits. 
The  weather  continued  still  thick  and  hazy,  and  by  the 
north  star  they  found  that  they  had  been  steering  about 
north  by  west.  .  -  t^k-tuw-M-x'^mii  ^,im  mi^W 

July  10. — The  people  had  drank  so  much  salt  water, 
that  it  came  from  them  as  clear  as  it  was  before  they  drank 
it ;  and  Mr.  Purnell  jperceived  that  the  second  mate  had 
lost  a  considerable  share  of  his  strength  and  spirits ;  and 
also,  at  noon,  that  the  carpenter  was  delirious,  his  mala- 
dy increasing  every  hour;  about  dusk  he  had  almost 
overset  the  boaC,  by  attempting  to  throw  himself  over- 
board, and  otherwise  behaving  quite  violently.    As  his 

^strength,  however,  failed  him,  he  became  more  manage- 
able, and  they  got  him  to  lie  down  in  the  middle  of  the 
boat,  among  some  of  the  people.  Mr.  Purnell  drank 
once  a  little  salt  water,  but  could  not  relish  it ;  he  pre- 
ferred his  own  urine,  which  he  drank  occasionally  as  he 
made  it.  Soon  after  sunset  the  second  mate  lost  his 
speech.  Mr.  Purnell  desired  him  to  lean  his  headlin 
him:  he  died,  without  a  groan  or  struggle,  on  the  11th 
fNt  July,  being  the  ninth  day  they  worn  in  the  boa|.    £a# 


tM 


ftVMA'BlABLB   ttOfWinsXXB. 


>-^Vs*$, 


friw  mintitieB  after,  the  CftTpenter  expired,  almost  in  a 
similar  manner.  These  melancholy  scenes*  rendered  the 
situation  of  the  survivors  more  dreadful ;  it  is  impossible 
to  describe  their  feelings.  Despair  became  general ;  eve- 
ry man  imagined  his  oim  dissohition  was  near.  Thoy 
all  now  went  to  prayers ;  some  in  the  Welch  language, 
some  in  Irish,  and  others  in  English ;  then,  after  a  little 
deliberation,  they  stripped  the  two  dead  men  and  hove 
them  overboard.  '«^»   <^*  '^*    inii.oj 

The  weather  being  now  very  mild,  and  almost  calm, 
they  turned  to,  cleaned  the  boat,  and  resolved  to  make 
their  sail  lacger  out  of  the  frocks  and  trousers  of  the  two 
deceased  men.  Pnrnell  got  the  captain  to  lie  down  with 
the  rest  of  the  people,  the  boatswain  and  one  man  ex- 
cepted, who  assisted  him  in  making  the  sail  larger,  which 
th6y  had  completed  by  six  or  seven  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon, having  made  a  s/hroud  out  of  the  boat's  painter, 
which  served  as  a  shifting  back-stay.  Pumell  also  fixed 
his  red  flannel  waistcoat  at  the  mast  head,  as  a  signal 
the  most  likely  to  be  seen. 

Soon  after  this  some  of  them  observed  a  sloop  at  a 
great  distance,  coming,  as  they  thought,  from  the  land. 
This  roused  every  man's  spirits :  they  got  out  their  oars, 
at  Which  they  labored  alternately,  exerting  all  their  re- 
maining strength  to  come  up  with  her ;  but  night  aoming 
on,  and  the  sloop  getting  a  fresh  breeze  of  wind,  they 
loflit  sight  of  her,  which  occasioned  a -general  consterna- 
ti<Ktl ;  however,  the  appearance  Of  the  north  star,  which 
^ey  kept  on  thmr  starooard  bow,  gave  them  htmes^that 
they  stood  in  for  land.  This  night  one  William  Wathing 
died ;  he  was  sixty-four  years  of  age,  and  had  been  to 
sea  fifty  years :  i|uite  worn  out  with  fatigue  and  hunger,« 
he  earnestly  prayed,  to  the  last  moment,  for  a  drop  of 
water  to  cool  his  tongue.  Early  the  next  morning  Hugh 
Williams  also  died,  and  in  the  course  of  the  day,  another 
»of  the  crew ;  entirely  exhausted,  they  both  expired  with- 
l||t  a  groan. 
fwfearly  hi  the  morning  of  July  13th,  it  began  to  blow 

\tv  mftb,  and  increased  so  much  that  they  were  obliged 

■rarl  their  aail,  and  keep  their  boat  befbre  the  wind ^^mrd 


•## 


LOSS  OF  tk«  KklQ  TTBKBL. 


197 


f 


sea,  which  drove  them  off  soundings.  In  the  evening 
tlieir  gunner  died.  The  weather  now  becoming  mode- 
rate, and  the  wind  in  the  south-west  quarter,  they  made 
sail,  not  one  of  them  being  able  to  row  or  pull  an  oar  at 
any  rate ;  they  ran  all  this  night  with  a  fine  breeze. 

The  next  morning,  July  14th,  two  more  of  the  crdw 
died,  and  in  the  evening  they  also  lost  the  same  number. 
Tliey  found  they  were  on  soundings  again,  and  conclud- 
ed the  wind  had  got  round  to  the  north-west  quarter. 
They  stood  in  for  tne  land  all  this  night,  and  early  on 
July  15th,  two  others  died :  the  deceased  were  thrown 
overboard  as  soon  as  their  breath  had  departed.  The 
weather  was  now  thick  and  hazy,  and  they  were  still 
certain  that  they  were  on  soundings. 

The  cabin  boy  was  seldom  required  to  do  any  thin^, 
and  as  his  intellects  at  this  time  were  very  good,  and  his 
understandnig  clear,  it  was  the  opinion  of  Mr.  Pumell 
that  he  would  survive  them  all,  but  he  prudently  kept 
his  thoughts  to  himself.  The  captain  seemed  likewise 
tolerably  well,  and  to  have  kept  up  his  spirits.  On  ac- 
count of  the  haziness  of  the  weather,  they  could  not  so 
w  ell  know  how  they  steered  in  the  day-time,  as  at  night ; 
for,  whenever  the  north  star  appeared,  they  endeavored 
to  keep  it  on  their  starboard  bow,  by  which  means  they 
were  certain  of  making  the  land  some  time  or  other.  In 
the  evening  two  more  of  the  crew  died ;  also,  before  sun- 
rise, one  liiomas  Philpot,  an  old,  experienced  seaman, 
and  very  strong ;  he  ieparted  rather  convulsed :  havinff 
latterly  lost  che  power  of  articulation,  his  meaning  could 
not  be  comprehended.  He  was  a  native  of  Belfast,  Ire- 
land, and  had  no  family.  The  survivors  found  it  very 
difficult  to  heave  his  body  overboard,  as  he  was  a  very 
corpulent  man. 

About  six  or  seven  the  next  morning,  July  16th,  they 
stood  ^l  for  land,  according  to  the  best  of  their  judg- 
ment ;  the  weather  still  thicK  and  hazy.  Purncil  now 
prevailed  upon  the  captain  and  boatswain  of  the  boat  to 
lie  down  in  the  fOre  part  of  the  boat,  to  bring  her  mwFe 
by  the  head,  in  order  to  make  her  hold  a  better  wind, 
m  the  evening  the  cabin  boy,  who  lately  appear^  ik^ 


12* 


f>ii 


l«ll 


ESMAKKABLK  ^PWBBCKS. 


veil,  breathed  his  last,  leaving  behind  the  captain,  the 
boatswain,  and  Mr.  Purnell. 

The  next  morning,  July  17th,  Purnell  asked  his  two 
companions  if  they  thought  they  could  eat  any  of  the 
boy's  flesh ;  and  having  expressed  an  inclination  to  try, 
and  the  boy  being  quite  cold,  he  cut  the  inside  of  his 
thigh,  a  Uttle  above  his  knee,  and  gave  a  piece  to  tho 
captain  and  boatswain,  reserving  a  small  piece  for  him- 
self; but  so  weak  were  their  stomachs  that  none  of  them 
could  swallow  a  morsel  of  it ;  the  body  was  therefore 
thrown  overboard. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  the  18th,  Mr.  Purnell  found 
both  01  his  companions  dead  and  cold  !  Thus  destitute, 
he  began  to  think  of  his  own  dissolution ;  though  feeble, 
his  understanding  was  still  clear,  and  his  spirits  as  good 
as  his  forlorn  situation  would  possibly  admit.  By  the 
color  and  coldness  of  the  water,  Yue  knew  he  was  not  far 
from  land,  and  still  maintained  hopes  of  making  it. 
The  weather  continued  very  fo^gy.  He  lay  to  all  this 
night,  which  was  very  dark,  with  the  boat's  head  to  the 

nortnwara« ..^^^  T-'vs^j   j^-u.^^-.v.'  --..-<?  >,n-»»t»«rr'*-fl:;'i   "..41  v.  (rui., 

In  the  mommg  of  the  19th  it  beg&n  to  ram ;  it  cleared 
up  in  the  afternoon,  and  the  wind  died  away  ;  still  Pur- 
nell was  convinced  he  was  on  soundings. 

On  the  20th,  in  the  afternoon,  he  thought  he  saw  lapid, 
and  stood  in  for  it ;  but  night  coming  on,  and  it  being 
now;  very  dark,  he  lay  to,  fearing  he  might  get  on  some 
rocks  or  shoals. 

July  21st,  the  weather  was  very  fine  all  the  morning, 
but  in  the  afternoon  i*  became  thick  and  hazy.  Pur- 
nell's  spirits  still  remained  good,  but  his  strength  was 
ahnost  exhauait^:.herJBtfJJl..Jtaiik  h^ o^  V^i  ogfia,- 
sionally.  '■.'.,... T':""^'  ^""  '" '7"'--"?,'.^^V:""" 

On  the  22d,  he  saw  some  barnacles  on  the  boat's  rud- 
der, very  similar  to  the  spawn  of  an  oyster,  which  Qlled 
him  with  great  hopes  of  being  near  to  land.  He  un- 
shipped the  rudder,  and  scraping  them  off  with  his 
knuo,  found  they  were  of  a  salt  fishy  substance,  and 
eat  them ;  he  was  now  so  weak,  and  the  boat  having  a 
great  motion,  that  he  found  it  a  difficult  task  to  ship  th^ 
rudder. 


LOM  OF   THI  BBIO  TYBftSL. 


iW 


ig  a 


•  At  sunrise,  July  23d,  he  became  so  sure  that  he  saW' 
land,  that  his  spirits  were  considerably  raised.  In  the 
middle  of  this  day  he  got  up,  leaned  his  back  against  the 
mast,  and  received  succor  from  the  tun,  having  previ- 
ously contrived  to  steer  the  boat  in  this  position.  The 
next  day  he  saw,  at  a  very  great  distance,  some  kind  of 
a  sail,  which  he  judged  was  coming  from  the  land,  which 
he  soon  lost  sight  of.  In  the  middle  of  the  day  he  eoi 
up,  and  received  warmth  from  the  sun  as  before.  He 
stood  on  all  night  for  the  land. 

Very  early  in  the  morning  of  the  25th,  after  drinking 
his  morning  draught,  to  hu  inexpressible  joy,  he  saw, 
while  the  sun  was  rising,  a  sail,  and  when  the  sun  waa 
up,. found  she  was  a  two-mast  vessel.    He  was,  however, 
r.onsiderably  perplexed,  not  knowing  what  to  do,  as  she 
was  a  great  distance  astern  and  to  the  leeward.    In  or-, 
der  to  watch  her  motion  better,  he  tacked  about.    Soon 
after  thv,  he  perceived  she  was  standing  on  her  starboard 
tack,  which  was  the  some  he  had  been  standing  on  for 
many  hours.    He  saw  she  approached  him  very  fast, 
and  he  lay  to,  for  some  time,  till  he  believed  she  waa 
wi^in  two  miles  of  the  boat,'but  still  to  leeward ;  there- 
fore he  thought  it  best  to  steer  larger,  when  he  found  shar 
was  a  topsail  schooner,  nearing  him  very  fast.     He  con-r 
tinned  to  edge  down  towards  her,  until  he  had  brought, 
her  about  two  points  under  his  lee-bow,  having  it  in  hia 
power  to  spring  his  luff,  or  bear  away.     By  this  time  she 
was  within  half  a  mile,  and  he  saw  some  of  the  people^' 
standing  forward  on  her  deck,  and  waving  for  him  to . 
come  under  ,  their  lee-bow.    At  the  distance  of  about! 
two  hundred  yards,  they  hote  the  schooner  up  in  the*^ 
wind,  and  kept  her  so  until  Pumell  got  alongside,  when- 
they  threw  hmi  k  rope,  still  keeping  the  schooner  in  the 
wind.    They  now  interrogated  him  very  closely ;  b)r  the. 
manner  the  boat  and  oars  were  paiuted,  they  imagined: 
she  belonged  to  a  man-of-war,  and  that  they  had  run 
away  with  her  from  some  of  his  majesty's  ships  at  Hali- 
fax, consequently  that  they  would  be  liable  to  some  pu«t 
nishment  if  they  took  him  up :  they  also  thought,  as  the^ 
captain  and  boatswain  were  lying  dead  in  the  boat,  Ihe^F. 


IS 


'•'"!»«=■ 


:^^ 


tm 


BIMABIABLI  IBIPWIBCKI. 


might  itpfke  themselTes  to  some  eontagtotis  disorif^r. 
Thus  they  kept  Piimell  in  suspense  for  some  time.  They 
told  him  they  had  made  the  land  that  morning  from  the 
mast-head,  and  that  Ihev  were  running  along  shore  for 
Marblehead,  to  which  place  they  belonged,  and  where 
they  expected  to  be  the  next  morning.  At  last  they  told 
bim  he  might  come  on  board;  which,  as  he  said,  he 
could  not  do  without  assistance ;  when  the  captain  ordered 
two  of  his  men  to  help  him.  They  conducted  him  aft 
on  the  quarter-deck,  where  they  left  him  resting  against 
the  companion.  They  were  now  for  casting  the  boat 
adrift,  when  Pumell  told  them  she  was  not  above  a 
month  old,  built  at  New  York,  and  if  they  would  hoist 
her  in,  it  would  pay  them  well  for  their  trouble.  To 
this  they  agreed,  and  having  thrown  the  two  corpse* 
overboard,  and  taken  out  the  clothes  that  were  left  by 
the  deceased,  they  hoisted  her  in  and  made  sail.  '::^' 

Being  now  on  board,  Pumell  asked  for  a  little  water ; 
captain  Castleman  (for  that  was  his  name)  ordered  one 
of  n»  sons  (having  two  on  board)  to  fetch  him  some ; 
when  he  came  with  the  w^ter,  his  father  looked  to  see 
how  much  he  was  bringing  him,  and  thinking  it  too 
much,  threw  a  part  of  it  away,  and  desired  him  to  give 
the  remainder,  which  he  drank,  being  the  first  fresh  wa- 
ter he  had  tasted  for  twenty-three  days.  As  he  leaned 
all  this  time  against  the  companion,  he  became  very  cold, 
and  beg^d  to  go  below :  the  captain  ordered  two  men  to 
help  him  down  to  the  cabin,  where  they  left  him  sitting 
on  the  cabin  deck,  leaning  upon  the  lockers,  all  hands 
being  now  engaged  in  hoisting  in  and  securing  the  boat. 
This  done,  all  hands  went  down  to  breakfast,  except  the 
man  at  the  helm.  They  made  some  s^up  for  Pnmell, 
which  he  thought  very  good,  but  at  that  time  could  eat 
^  but  very  little,  and  in  coni^quence  of  his  late  draughts, 
he  had  broke  out  in  many  parts  of  his  body,  so  that  he 
was  m  great  pain  whenever  he  stirred.  They  made  a 
bed  for  him  out  of  an  old  sail,  and  behaved  very  atten- 
tive. While  they  were  at  breakfast  a  squall  of  wind 
came  on,  which  called  them  all  upon  deck ;  during  their 
absence,  Pumell  took  up  a  stone  bottle^  and  without 


^^ 


LOIt  OP  THE  IBIO  TTtlBL. 


141 


•melling  or  tasting  it,  but  thinking  it  was  rum,  took  a 
hearty  draught  of  it,  and  found  it  to  be  sweet  oil ;  hav- 
ingplaced  it  where  he  found  it,  he  lay  down. 

Tney  still  ran  along  shore  with  the  land  in  sight,  and 
were  in  great  hopes  of  getting  into  port  that  ni^ht,  but 
the  wiRd^Aymg  away,  iney  did  not  get  in  till  nin«  o'clock 
the  next  night  All  this  time  Purnell  remair.<id  like  a 
child;  some  one  or  other  was  always  with  him,  to  give 
him  whaterer  he  wished  to  eat  or  drink. 

As  soon  as  they  came  to  anchor,  captain  Castleman 
went  on  shore,  and  returned  on  board  the  next  morning, 
with  the  owner,  John  Pickett,  Esq.  Soon  after,  they  got 
Purnell  into  a  boat  and  carried  him  on  shore ;  but  he 
was  still  so  very  feeble,  that  he  was  obliged  to  be  sup- 
ported by  two  men.  Mr.  Pickett  took  a  very  genteel 
lodging  for  him,  and  hired  a  nurse  to  attend  him;  he 
was  immediately  put  to  bed,  and  afterwards  provided 
with  a  change  of  clothes.  In  the  course  of  the  day  be 
was  visUed  by  every  doctor  in  the  town,  who  all  gave 
him  hopes  of  recovering ;  but  told  him  it  would  be  some 
time ;  (or  the  stronger  the  constitution,  (said  they,)  the 
longer  it  takes  to  ocover  its  lost  strength.  Though 
treated  with  the  luiuost  tenderness  and  humanity,  it  was 
three  weeks  before  he  was  able  to  come  down  stairs.  He 
stayed  in  Marbl«head  two  months,  during  which  he 
lived  very  comfortably,  and  gradually  recovered  his 
etrmiffth.  The  brig's  boat  and  oars  were  sold  for  ninety- 
.five  cu»llaT8,  which  paid  all  his  expenses,  and  procured 
him  a  passage  to  Boston.  The  nails  of  his  fingers  and 
toes  withered  away  almost  to'nothing,  and  did  not  b^in 
ulo  grow  for  many  months  after.  f 


n 


4i 


■■\ 


•     ^.  "■'..■,'   ■■'       "... 

..laajiYT  oiMR  :mt  m  snjxu 


LpSS  OP  THE  FRENCH  EAST  INWAMAN  -j 
f^i  i  THE  PRIN€E,  BY  FIRE    «  ^^^«^  ^^ 

Myon»ofthelAeufymant8ofthaiWii^.''*^^f^^ 


m\. 


>*■ 


Thb  French  East  India  Company's  ship,  The  Prince, 
commanded  by  M.  Morin,  and  bound  to  Pondicherry, 
weighed  anchor  on  the  19th  of  February,  1762,  from  the 
harbor  of  L'Orient.    She  had  scarcely  passed  the  island 
>  of  St.  Michael,  when  the  wind  shifting,  it  was  found 
impossible  to  double  the   Turk  bank.      The  utmost 
efforts,  and  the  greatest  precautions,  could  not  prevent 
her  from  striking  on  the  bank,  in  such  a  manner  that 
the  mouths  of  the  gun3  w6re  immersed  in  ^le  water. 
We  announced  our  misfortune  bjr  signals  of  distress, 
when  M.  de  Godeheu,  the  commander  of  the  port  of 
L'Orient,  came  on  board  to  animate  the  crew  by  his  pre- 
'  sence  and  his  orders.    All  the  chests,  and  other  articles, 
of  the  greatest  value,  were  removed  safely  into  smaller 
-tessels  to  lighten  the  ship;  the  whole  night  was  occu- 
^  pied  wifh  tite  most  laborious  exertions.    At  length  the 
tidei,  in  the  morning,  relieved  us  from  our  dangerous 
^^  situation,  and.«nabl€d  us  to  reach  the  road  of  Port  Lou- 
'  iS:  we  owed  the  j^feservation  of  the  ship  entirely  to  the 
'  {Htident  directions  of  M.  de  Godeheu,  and  th^e  riieasures 
adopted  in  consequence.    The  ship  had  sprung  several 
leaks,  but  fortunately  our  pumps  kept  the  water  under : 
half  the  cargo  was  taken  out  of  the  vessel,  and  in  about 
a  week  we  returned  to  L'Orient,  where  she  was  entirely 
unloaded.    She  was  then  careened  and  caulked  afresh. 
These  precautions  seemed  to  promise  a  successful  voy- 
age, and  the  misfortune  we  had  already  experienced 
showed  the  strength  >f  the  vessel,  which  fire  alone  ap 
peared  capable  of  destroying. 
On  the  10th  of  June,  1752,  a  favorable  wind  carried 


LOSS  OP  TflfS  PRBNCB  BAST  INStAMAN  THE  PBIKCS.       143 


A 


.,  .'.-.(■ 


irried 


strongest 


expressions 
narrative  I  shall 


Igjlbllfbf  the  port,  biit  aftci'  a  fdrtunalfe  nat^Katitm  We 
mot  with  a  disaster  of  which  tHe 
can  convey  but  a  faint  idea.     In  this 
confine  myself  to  a  brief  detail,  as  it  is  impossible  to  re- 
collect all  the  circumstances. 

The  26th  of  July,  1762,  being  in  the  latitude  of  eight 
degrees  thirty  minutes  south,  and  in  longitude  five  de- 
grees west,  the  wind  being  S.  W.  just  at  the  moment  of 
taking  the  observation  of  the  meridian,  I  had  repaired  to 
the  quarter,  where  I  was  going  to  command,  when  a 
man  informed  me  that  a  smoke  was  seen  to  issue  from 
the  pannel  of  the  greater  hatchway. 
-'*  Upon  this  information  the  first  lieuten&nt,  who  kej)t 
the  keys  of  the  hold,  opened  all  the  liatchways,  to  dis- 
cover the  cause  of  an  accident,  the  slightest  suspicion  of 
which  frequently  causes  the  most  intrepid  to  triembl^. 
The  captain,  who- was  at  dinner  in  the  great  cabin,  wem 
upon  deck  and  gave  orders  for  extinguishing  the  fire. 
I  nad  already  directed  several  sails  to  be  thrown  over- 
board, and  the  hatchways  to  be  covered  with  thlet^, 
hoping,  by  these  means,  to  prevent  the  air  from  pene- 
trating into  the  hold.  I  had  even  proposed,  fbt  the 
greater  security,  to  let  in  the  water  between  decks,  to  the 
height  of  a  foot ;  but  the  air,  which  had  alrei^y  obtaiid- 
ed  a  firee  passage  through  the  opening  of  the  liatchways, 
produced  a  vety  thick  smoke,  that  issued  forth  in 
^abundance,  and  the  fire  continued  gradufilly  to  gain 
ground. 

The  captain  ordered  sixty  or  eighty  of  the  soldiers 
under  arms  to  restrain  the  crew,  and  prevent  the  doti- 
fusion  likely  to  ensue  in  such  a  critical  moment.    These 

Erecautions  were  seconded  by  M.  de  la  Touche,  with 
is  usual  fortitude  and  prudence.  That  hero  deserved 
a  better  opporttmity  of  signalizing  himself,  and  had  des- 
tined his  soldiers  for  other  operations  more  useful  to  his 
country. 

All  hands  were  now  employed  in  getting  water ;  not 
only  the  buckets,  but  likewise  all  the  pumps  wer6  kept 
at  work,  and  pipes  were  carried  from  thiem  into  the 
hold ;  even  the  water  in  the  jars  was  emptied  out.    1^0 


i'-ih 


i: 


'€. 


'*\i 


:■-■ 


;  i^      3:vv<ifl  I    -(f     UMABKABLS  KHIPWBECKf, 

rapidity  of  the  fire,  however,  baffled  our  eiQ^ta  f^^  m^> 
men  ted  the  general  consternation.  ;    -■  ^i^^^;-  ^r.^-^ 

i^..  The  captain  had  already  ordered  the  yawl  to  po 
noisted  overboard,  merely  be<5ause  it  was  in  the  way ; 
four  men,  among  whom  was  the  boatswain,  took  posses- 
sion of  it.  They  had  no  oars,  but  called  out  for  some, 
when  three  sailors  jiQuped  overboard  and  carried  them 
what  they  stood  so  much  in  need  of.  'I'hese  fortunate 
fugitives  were  required  to  return ;  they  cried  out  that 
they  had  no  rudder,  and  desired  a  rope  to  be  thrown 
them;  perceiving  that  the  progress  of  the  flames  left 
them  no  other  resource,  they  endeavored  to  remove  to  a 
distance  from  the  ship,  which  passed  them  in  ctxise- 
jg^V^cnce  of  a  breeze  that  sprang  up. 

Ail  hands  were  still  busy  on  board;  the  inmossibility 
of  escaping  seemed  to  increase  the  courage  of  the  men. 
The  master  boldly  ventured  down  into  the  hold,  but  the 
heat  obliged  him  to  return ;  he  would  have  been  biurned 
if  a  great  quantity  of  watei  had  not  been  thrown  over 
him.  Immediately  afterwards,  the  flames  were  seen  to 
issue  with  impetuosity  from  ^e  great  panncl.  The  cap- 
tain ordered  the  boats  overboard,  but  fear  had  exhausted 
tbe  stnmgth  of  the  most  intrepid.  The  jolly-boat  was 
&stened  at  a  certain  height,  and  preparations  were  made 
for  hoisting  her  over ;  but,  to  complete  our  misfortunes, 
the  fire,  which  increased  every  moment,  ascended  the 
main-mast  with  such  violence  and  rapidity  as  to  bum  ttte 
-  tackle ;  the  boat  pitching  upon  the  starboard  guns,  fell 
^  bottom  upwards,  and  we  lost  aU  hopes  of  raising  her 
again. 

We  now  perceived  that  we  had  nothing  to  hope  from 
human  aid,  but  only  from  the  mercy  of  the  Almighty. 
Dejection  filled  every  mind;  the  constematiqn  became 
general ;  nothing  but  sighs  and  groans  were  heard ;  even 
the  animals  we  had  on  board  uttered  the  most  dreadful 
cries.  Every  one  began  to  raise  his  heart  and  hands 
towiirds  heaven ;  and  in  Uie  certainty  of  a  speedy  death 
each  w&s  occupied  only  with  the  melancholy  alternative 
between  the  two  elements  ready  to  devour  us. 
^^,  ^The  obapUan)  wh9  was  o^  the  qu^tcGTrdeck,  gave  t^e 


loss  OF  THB  FKENCH  BAST  INOUMAX,  THE  PBINCE.     li/i 

Soeral  absolution,  and  went  into  tha  gallery  to  impart 
e  same  to  the  unhappy  wretches  who  had  already 
committed  themselves  to  the  m<9rcy  of  the  waves.  What 
a  horrid  spectacle !  Each  was  occupied  only  in  thro\i^- 
ing  overboard  whatever  promised  a  momentary  pres^- 
vation ;  coops,  yards,  spars,  every  thing  that  came  to 
hand  was  seized  in  despair  and  disposed  of  in  the  same 
manner.  The  confusion  was  extreme;  some  seemed  to 
anticipate  death  by  jumping  into  the  sea,  others,  by 
swimming,  gained  the  fragments  of  the  vessel;  while 
the  shrouds,  the  yards,  and  ropes,  along  the  side  of  the 
ship  were  covered  with  the  crew  who  were  suspended 
from  them,  as  if  hesitating  between  two  extremes,  equally 
imminent  and  equally  terrible. 

Uncertain  for  what  fate  Providence  intended  me,  I 
br .  '  lather  snatch  his  son  from  the  fliames,  embrace 
h  ^  '.«irow  him  into  the  sea  then  following  himself,  they 
perished  in  each  other's  embrace.  1  had  ordered  the 
helm  to  be  turned  to  starboard ;  the  vessel  heeled,  and 
this  manoBuvre  preserved  us  for  some  time  on  that  side, 
while  the  fire  raged  on  the  larboard  side  from  stem  to 
stern. 

Till  this  moment,  I  had  been  so  engaged  that  my 
thoughts  were  directed  only  to  the  preservation  of  the 
ship ;  now,  however,  the  horrors  of  a  twofold  death  pre- 
sented themselves ;  but  through  the  kindness  of  heaven, 
my  fortitude  never  forsook  me.  I  looked  round  and 
found  myself  alone  upon  the  deck.  I  went  into  the 
round-house,  where  I  met  M.  de  la  Touche,  who  regard- 
ed death  with  the  same  heroism  that  procured  him  suc- 
cess in  India.  "  Farewell,  my  brother  and  my  friend," 
said  he,  embracing  me — "Why,  where  are  you  going ?" 
replied  I.  "  I  am  going,  (said  he,)  to  comfort  my  friend 
Morin."  He  spoke  of  the  captain,  who  was  overwhelm- 
ed with  grief  at  the  -melancholy  fate  of  his  female  cou- 
sins, who  were  passengers  on  board  his  ship,  and  whom 
he  had  persuaded  to  trust  themselves  to  sea  in  hen-coops, 
after  having  hastily  stripped  off  their  clothes,  while  some 
of  the  sailors,  swimming  with  one  hand,  endeavored  in 
*«PPJ?^ttit^epi,wiait^qtheif.-,     .  ,  .,.,.,  ,,,;,,    ,.    ., 


11 


f? 


\ 


,„^- 


U6 


gkHk^ltktaM  ^tahtiMiar^' 


%fi   ak-.jj 


^\*  The  yards  and  masts  were  ce  ered  with  men  stiTij|w 
gling  ith  the  waves  around  the  vessel;  many  of  them 
pensir:;d  every  moment  by  the  balls  discharged  by  the 
guns  m  consequence  of  the  flames ;  a  third  species  of 
death,  that  aumiented  the  horrors  by  which  wc  were 
surrounded.  With  a  heart  oppressed  with  anguish,  I 
turned  my  eyes  away  from  the  sea.  A  moment  after- 
wards I  entered  the  starboard  gallery,  and  saw  the  flames 
rushing  with  a  horrid  noise  through  the  windows  of  the  . 
great  cabin  and  the  round-house.  The  fire  approached, 
and  was  ready  to  consume  me;  my  presence  was  then 

Entirely  useless  for  the  preservation  ol  the  vessel,  or  the 
relief  of  my  fellow  suflerers. 

In  this  dreadful  situation  I  thought  it  my  duty  to  pro- 
lone  my  life  s,  few  hours,  in  order  to  devote  them  to  my 
God.  1  stripped  off  my  clothes  with  the  intention  of 
rolling  down  a  yard,  one  end  of  which  touched  the  wa- 
ter ;  but  it  was  so  covered  with  unfortunate  wretches, 
whom  the  fear  of  drowning  kept  in  that  situation,  that 
I  tumbled  over  them  and  fell  into  the  sea,  recommending 

'  myself  to  the  mercy  of  Providence.  A  stont  soldier  who 
waG  drowning  caught  hold  of  me  in  this  extremity ;  F 
employed  every  exertion  to  disengage  myself  from  him, 
but  without  effect.  I  suflered  myself  to  sink  under  the 
water,  but  he  did  not  quit  his  hold ;  I  plunged  a  second 
time,  and  he  still  held  me  firmly  in  his  grasp ;  he  was  in- 
capable of  reflecting  that  my  death  would  rather  hasten 
liis  ov/ii  than  be  of  service  to  him.  At  length,  after 
struggling  a  considerable  time,  his  strength  was  exhaust- 
ed in  consequence  of  the  quantity  of  water  he  had  swal- 
lowed, and  perceiving  that  I  was  5  king  the  third  time, 
and  fearing  lest  I  should  drag  him  to  the  bottom  along 
with  me,  he  loosed  his  h.>ld.  That  he  might  not  catch 
me  again  1  dived,  and  rusie  a  considerable  distance  from 
the  spot. 

This  first  adventure  rendered  me  more  cautious  in  fu- 
ttire ;  I  even  shunned  the  /lead  bodies,  which  were  so 
numerous,  that,  to  make  a  free  passa^,  I  was  obliged 
lo  push  them  aside  with  one  hand,  while  I  kept  myself 
f^bove  water  with  the  other.    I  imagined  that  each  of 


*,-(«■ 


i!*- 


■Jte' 


LOSS  OF  THR  rBBKOH i«4ST  mOIAMAH  THB  PBINOB.    147 


■^: 


> 


..i'-' 


Ui«m  was  a  man  who  would  assniedly  seize  and  ihrolTe 
me  in  his  own  destruction.  My  strength  began  to  fail, 
und  I  was  convinced  of  the  necessity  of  resting,  when  1 
met  a  piece  of  the  flag  staff.  To  secure  it  I  put  my  arm 
through  the  noose  of  the  rope,  and  swam  as  weli  as  J 
was  able ;  I  perceived  a  yard  floating  before  me,  when 
1  approached  and  seized  it  by  the  end.  At  the  oilier  ex- 
tremity I  saw  a  young  man,  scarcely  abto^  to  support 
himself,  and  speedily  relinquished  this  feeble  assistance 
that  announced  a  certain  deatiii.  The  sprit-sail  ytod 
next  appeared  in  sight ;  it  was  covered  with  people,  and 
I  durst  not  tal^e  a  place  upon  it  without  askiia  pcMiis- 
sion,  which  my  unfortunate  companions  choer^lly  grantt- 
ed.  Some  were  quite  naked,  and  others  in  tbehr  ahirts; 
they  expressed  their  pity  at  my  situation,  and  their  m»> 
f<Mrtune  put  my  sensibility  to  the  severest  test 

M.  Morin  and  M.  de  la  Touohe,  both  so  worthy  of  a 
better  fate,  never  quitted  the  vessel,  and  were  doubtless 
buried  in  its  ruins.  Whichever  way  I  turned  my 
eyes,  the  most  dismal  sights  presented  themselves.  Th^ 
main-msust,  burnt  away  at  the  bottom,  fell  bverboard, 
killitig  some,  and  affording  to  others  a  precarious  Resource. 
This  maist  I  observed  covet-ed  with  people,  and  abandon- 
ed to  the  impulse  of  the  waves ;  at  the  same  moment 
I  perceived  two  sailors  upon  a  hen-co<^  With  soifle 
planks,  and  cried  out  to  them,  '*  My  lads,  bring  the  planks, 
and  swim  to  me."  They  approached  tne,  accompanied 
by  several  othefs;  and  eaclt  taking  a  plank.  Which  we 
used  as  oars,  we  paddled  along  upon  the  yatd,  and  join- 
ed thosT  who  had  taken  possession  of  the  main^-mast. 

So  many  change  of  situation  presented  only  new 
spectacles  of  horror.  I  fortunately  here  met  with  our 
chaplain,  who  gave  me  abs(ilm.on.  We  were  in  num- 
ber about  eighty  persons,  who  were  inceMMitly  threat- 
ened with  destruction  by  the  balls  from  the  sliip's  gune. 
I  saw  likewise  on  the  mast  two  young  ladies,  by  whose 
piety  I  wks  much  ediiled ;  there  were  six  females  on 
board,  and  the  other  four  were,  in  all  probability,  a.'ready 
drowned  or  burned.  Our  chaplain,  in  this  dreadfui  situ- 
ation, melted  the  most  obdufatte  hoafts  by  hit  disoouim 


/       -< 


1^  .so>Ttit^  ^imuEKMMaoLm  tmamwtoim.  ■ 

mud  the  example  he  gave  of  patience  and  resignatiM. 
Sqetng  him  slip  from  the  Inast  and  fall  into  the  sea,  ael 
irat  mhind  him,  I  lifted  him  up  again.  **  Let  me  go, 
(•aid  he,)  I  am  full  of  water,  and  it  is  only  a  prolonga- 
tion of  my  soflbrings.^'  "No,  my  friend,  (said  I,)  wle 
wiM  die  together  when  my  strtnigth  forsakes  me."  In 
his  pious  o^Bupfeiny  I  awsiited  death  witli  pevfte^t  lesiguat- 
tioi|i,:  I  lenMmed  in  this  sitiia/tion  tbiee  hours,  and  saw 
one  of  the  ladies  faU  off  the  mast  With  fatigue,  siid  pe- 
1^;  she  wmt  toov'fiir  distaiU  for  me  to  giveiheE  auy  as- 
lifctance.  •.!    •;  ni  bn         .        ^a 

WhQn  I  least  expected  it,  I  perceived  fhe  yawl  close 
4o  us ;  it  was  then  five  p'elook,  P.  M.  I  cried  out  to  the 
mm  in  her  that  I  was  Uieir  lieutenant,  and  bes§^  per- 
mission to  share  our  misfortune  wijth  them.  They  gave 
me  leave  to  come  c^^  board,  upon  OOndition  that  I  would 
siHra  i4o^  them.  It  was  their  interest  to  have  a  conductor, 
Ik  order  to  discover  land;  and  for  this  reason  my  compa- 
ny was''  too  neeessary  for  theHi  to  refuse  my  request 
The  condition  they  imposed  upon  me  was  peitectly  rea* 
sonaMe>;  they  aded  prudently  not  to  apptoach,  as  the 
others  would  have  been  equally  anxious  to  enter  4heii 
little  bi£rk ;  and  we  should  all  have  be«i  buried  to^ethei 
iti  a  watery  grave;  Mustering,  therefoi^  all  my  strength, 
I*w«s  a&  fortunate  as  to  reach  the  boat.  Soon  afterwards 
I  observed  the  pilot  and  master,  whom  I  had  left  oil  the 
main^inast,  follow  my  exaniple ;  they  swam  to  the  Y^^k 
and  n^  took  them  in.  Tms  little  bark  was  the  m»ins 
of  saving  the  tea  persons  w^o  alone  escsqped,  out  of 
nearly  three  hundred. 

The  jflaraes  stiU  continued  to  consume  our  i^ip,  lirom 
which  we  were  not  more  thaa  hulf  a  league  distant ;  our 
too  great  pr^^pmitv  might  prove  pernicious,  and  we, 
tibeiefore,  imoeeded  a  little  to  windward.  Not  long  af- 
ter, the  fire  jBommunicated  to  the  powdetrroom,  and 
it  is  impossiMe  to  describe  ^  noise  with  which  our 
vessel  M«w  up.  A  thick  ok>ud  inleroepted  the  light 
of  the  sun^;  amidst  this  horrible  darkness  we  could  per- 
.  ceive  nothing  but  large  pieces  of  flaming  wood  pforjected 
^■^^^^  t^  Bitf,  and  whose  laU  threatened  to  dash  ta  pieces 


^' 


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LOn  or  THB 


i4sr  tnumai'TER  prinoi. 


Bunbers  of  oiihappy  wntohes  ttill  struggling  with  tho 
aconies  o<^^eath.  We,  ourselves,  were  not  quite  out  of 
danger ;  i^vas  not  impossible  but  that  one  of  ttve  flam* 
ing  fragmenis  might  reach  us,  and  precipitate  our  IVail 
▼essel  to  the  bottom.  The  Almighty,  Howsvor,  presenr- 
ed  us  from  thai  misfortune ;  but  what  a  spectacle  now* 
presented  itself !  The  vessri  had  disai^peared ;  its  fruff* 
ments  covered  the  sea  to  a  great  distance,  and  floated 
ir*  all  direclioos  witltour  unfortunate  companions,  whose 
despair  and  whose  lives,  had. been  ten amatedt(^|ethei^ 
by  their  iall.  We  saw  soihe  completely  suffocatMli'^ 
others  mangled,  half  burned,  and  still  preserving  va0k^> 
cieut  lif»  to  be  sfflisible  of  the  accumulated  hotiors  of 
their  fate. 

;.  Through  the  mercy  of  iNavcn,  I  retained  my  forti- 
tude, and  proposed  to  malEe  towards  tb'^  fragments  of  the 
wreck  to  seek  provisions,  and  to  pick  up  any  other  arti- 
cles we  might  want.  We  were  totally  unpiovJdkMl,  and' 
were  in  danger  of  perilling  with  famine;  a  death  BM>re 
tedious  and  more  painful  than  that  of  our  ocuaapanioiHki 
We  found  .'ieyeral  barrds,  in  which  we  hoped  to  ihid' 
a  resource  against  this  pressing  neceitiity,  but  diseoveifid 
to  our  mortincaiion  that  it  was  part  of  the  powder  which 
had  be«a  thrown  overboard  during  the  c<mflogration. 

Night  approached ;  but  we  providentially  fooBd  a  cadi*' 
of  brayEld?,  nibout  fifteen  pounds  of  salt  poik,  a  piece  of' 
scarleidoth,  twenty  yards  of  linen,  a  dozen  of  pipe  slaves, 
and  a  few  ropes.    It  grew  dark,  and  we  could  not  wait  tiH 
daylight  in  our    present  jntuation,  without  exposinpf 
ourselves  a  hundred  times  to  destruction  euiKnig  the 
fragments  of  the  wreck,  from  whicb  we  Jiftd  not  yet 
been  able  to  disOngnge  ourselves.    WlfHhii^or^  >row«i 
away  from  them  as  speedily  as  po^tsible,  in^^^ite  lb  il>- 
tend  to  the  equitsnent  of  our  new  vesBiA.    Wk^  ot»e 
fell  to  work  with  the  utmost  assiduity;  we  employed 
every  thing,  and  took  off  the  inner  sheathing  of  our  iMMf^ 
fo<-  the  sake  of  ^e  planks  and  nails ;  we  drew  from  the 
linen  what  tbr^d  we  wanted;  fortunately  one  of  the 
sailors  had  two  needles ;  our  scarlet  clotb  servedbi^  fist^j 
a  sail,  an  oar  for  a  mast,  and  a  plank  for  a  rudder. 
13*  - 


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■DfVnUMlK 


t^'- 


Notwithstanding  the  daricnenif  our  equipment  wu  hi  m 
short  time  au  complete  as  circumstances  wojj^  permit. 
The  only  difficulty  that  remained  was,  how  to  direot  our 
Ooune;  we  had  neither  charts  nor  instruments,  and  were 
nearly  two  hundred  leagues  from  land.  We  resiimed 
owfseWea  to  the  meiey  of  the  Almighty,  whose  assistance 
we  implored  in  lenrent  prayers. 

,  At  length  we  raised  our  sail,  and  a  faTorable  wind 
vemoved  us  Ibrever  ftom  the  floating  corpses  of  our  un- 
fortunate companiona  In  this  manner  we  |)toceeded 
eight  cteys  and  eight  nighte,  without  peroeivrng  land, 
exposed  stark  naked  to  the  burning  ravs  of  the  sun  by 
day,  and  40  intense  cold  by  night.  Tne  sixth  day,  a 
shower  of  rain  inspired  us  with  the  hope  of  some  relief 
firon  the  thirst  by  which  w«  Were  tormented:  we  en- 
deavored  to  catch  the  ^ttle  water  that  fell  in  our  mouths 
and  liands.  We  sucked  our  sail,  but  having  been  be- 
fore soaleed  in  sea-water,  it  communicated  the  bitter  taste 
of  the  latter  to  the  rain  which  itreeeived.  If,  howevw, 
the  rain  had  been  more  Tiolmt,  it  might  hare  abated  the 
Wind  thatimpeUed  Us^  and  a  calm  would  have  been  at- 
tMided  wi&  inevitable  destruction. 

That  we  might  steer  our  course  with  the  greater  cer- 
tainty, we  ec^aulted,  every  day,  the  risinff  and  setting  of 
the  SUB  anil  moon;  and  the  stars  showed  us  what  wind 
wa  ought  to  take;  A  very  smaU  piece  of  salt  pork  for^- 
niched  ua  one  meal  in  the  twenty-four  hours:  and  l^eqai 
eiren  this  we  were  obliged  to  desist  on  the  fourth  day,  on 
aeommt  of  the  irritatioB  of  the  blood  which  it  oocasioii^' 
ed.  Oto»  only  beverage  was  a  glass  of  brandy,  from 
time  to  time;  but  that  liquor  burned  our  stomachs  with- 
out aHaying  onrthirst.  We  saw  abundance  of  flying- 
fisjh,  hut  te  impoesibili^  of  eatcdiiag  them  rendered  cnir 
nMsery  atitt  mihie  acute  ;^  we  were,  therefore,  obliged  to 
be  ooDtented  with  our  pr^isions.  The  uncertainty  with 
respect  to  our  ^te,  the  waat  of  food,  and  the  agitation  of 
th»  sea.  combined  to  deprive  ua  of  re»t,  and  almost 
plvmged  us  into  despair.  Nature  seemeci  to  have  aban- 
doned her  fuDctfons;  a  feeble  ray  of  hope  alone  cheered 


^^.ii 


■■' ! '- 


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s 

11 


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\ 


LOM  OF  THB  f MUWUI  liifT  niW4iy»ll  TBI  PBDfOI.       Ufl^ 

o^r  mindf  and  ptevented  uf  Uom  tnyying  th«  fi^aQf  oi|r 
dMeas«d  o^miiaDions. 

•  I  pMCM  tiM  eighth  night  at  the  helm ;  I  remained  at 
my  poet  moire  than  tea  hours,  frequentir  desiring  to  be 
relieved,  till  at  length  I  lank  down  wim  fatigue.  My 
miserable  comrades  were  equally  exhausted,  and  des- 
pair began  to  take  possession  pf  om  souls.  At  last,  when 
just  perishing  with  fatigue,  misery,  hunger,  and  thirst, 
we  discovefed  land)  by  the  first  rays  of  the  sun,  ou 
Wednesday,  the  3d  of  August  1759.  Only  those  who 
have  experienced  similar  misU)rtunes  can  fqrm  an  ade- 
quate, oonceptioo  of  the  change  which  this  discovery 
produced  in  our  minds.  Our  strength  returnedi  and  we 
took  precautions  not  u>  be  carried  away  by  the  currents* 
At  two  P.  M.  we  reached  the  coast  of  masil,  and  enter- 
ed the  bay  of  Tresson,  ia  latitude  six  degrees. 

Our  first  care,  upon  setting  foot  on  shore,  was  to  thank 
the  Almighty  for  vis  favors ;  we  threw  ourselves  upon 
the  ground,  and,  in  the  transports  of  aur  joy,  rolled  our- 
selves in  the  sand.  Our  appearance  was  truly  frightful, 
our  fiffures  preserved  nothing  human  that  did  not  more 
fcmsibly  announce  our  misibrtttnes.  Some  were  perfectly 
naked,  others  had  nothing  but  shirts  that  were  rotten 
and  krni  to  rags,  and  I  had  fa'^ned  round  my  waist  a 
piece  of  scarlet  cl^th,  in  ordet  to  apptor  at  tHe  head  of 
my  companioiis.  We  had  not  yet,  nowever,  arrived  at 
the  end  pf  all  our  hardships ;  although  rescued  from  the 
greatest  of  our  dangers,  that  of  an  uncertain  navigation, 
we  were  still  tormented  by  hunger  and  thir8t,,9|aLd*  in 
cruel  suspense,  whether  we  should  find  this  cqii||^  mii> 
Uted  by  men  susceptible  of  sentiments  of  compa«i>o^! 

We  were  deliberating  which  way  we  should  4imPt 
our  course,  wliea.  about  fifty  Portuguese,  most  of  whom 
were  armed,  advanced  towards  us,  and  inquired  the  rea** 
son  of  our  landing.  The  recital  of  our  misfoitunes  was 
a  su^oient  answer,  at  once  announced -our  wants,  and 
strongly  claimed  the  sacred  rights  of  hospitality.  Their 
treasures  were  not  the  olitject  of  our  desire,^  Uie  neces- 
saries of  life  were  all  that  we  wanted.  Toujched  by  our 
imsfortunes,  Hk^y  blessed  the  power  that  had  preserved 


v>i 


itf,  and  hastened  to  conduct  us  to  their  habitations.  Up 
on  the  way  we  came  to  a  river,  into  which  al^  my  coni> 
panions  ran  to  throw  themselves,  in  order  to  allay  their 
thirst ;  they  rolled  in  the  water  with  extreme  delight! 
and  bathmg  was  in  the  sequel  one  of  the  remedies  of 
which  we  made  the  most  Afequent  nse,  and  which,  at 
the  sam^  time,  contributed  most  to  the  restoration  of  our 
health. 

The  principal  person  of  the  place  came  and  conducted 
us  to  his  house,  abont  half  a  league  distant  from  the 
place  of  our  landing.  Our  charitable  host  gave  us  linen 
shirts  and  trousers,  and  boiled  some  fish,  the  water  of 
which  served  us  for  broth,  and  seemed  delicious.  After 
this  frugal  repast,  though  sle^p  was  equally  necessary, 
yet  we  prepared  to  render  tolemn  thanks  to  th>  Al- 
mighty, flearing  that,  at  the  distance  of  half  a  league, 
there  was  a  church  dedicated  to  St.  Michael,  we  repaired 
thither,  singing  praises  to  the  Lord,  while  we  presented 
the  homage  or  our  sratitude  to  Him  to  whom  we  were 
so  evidently  jndebted  fo^  our  preservation .  The  badness 
of  the  road  had  fatisued  us  so  much  that  we  were  oblig- 
ed to  rest  in  the  village ;  our  misfortunes,  tocher  with 
such  an  edifying  spectacle,  drew  all  the  inhabitants 
around  us,  and  every  one  hastened  to  fetch  ns  refresh- 
nients.  After  resting  a  short  time,  vffi  returned  to  our 
kind  host,  who,  at  night,  furnished  us  with  unother  re- 
past of  fresh  fish.  As  we  wanted  more  invigorating 
lood,  we  purchased  an  ox,  which  we  Kad  in  exchang«i> 
for  twenty-five  quarts  of  brandy. 

We  had  to  go  to  Paraibo,  a  journey  of  fifteen  Ieaguea»*' 
barefoot,  and  without  any  hope  of  meeting  with  good 
provisions  on  the  way ;  we  therefore  took  the  precaution 
of  smoke-drying  our  meat,  and  added  io  it  a  provision  oi 
fiour.  After  resting  three  days,  we  departed  under  an 
escort  of  three  soldiers.  We  proceedea  seven  leagues 
the  first  day,  and  passed  the  ni^t  at  the  house  of  a  man, 
who  deceived  us  kindly.  Tlie  next  evening,  a  sergeant, 
accompanied  by  twenty-nine  soldiers,  came  to  meet  us 
fbr  the  p^irpome  of  conducting  and  presenting  ui^  to  the 
commandant  of  the  forti«i»;  that  worthy'<^cer  received 


n 


^j,^Li£i^.-> 


i 
it 
e 

[ 

1 

s 

r 
5 


1 


LOn  or  TBI  riBNOH  ■AST  INDUMAN  THK  PRINOB.      IffS 

ui  gntciously,  gave  ui  an  entertainment,  and  a  boat  to 
go  to  Paraibo.  It  was  ludnight  when  we  arrived  at  that 
town ;  a  Portugueae  ciiptain  was  waiting  to  present  us 
to  tht  gsremor,  who  gavf  lis  a  ocaciout  reMptioH,  und 
furnished  us  with  all  the  comforts  of  life.  We  there 
reposed  fof  thiee  dayS)  but  being  deaivou*  ofieaching 
Fernambuc  to  take  advantage  of  a  Portuguese  fleet  that 
was  expected  to  sail  every  day,  in  o\dMr  la  nturrr  to 
Europe,  the  governor  ordered  acorpoial  to  oond  jct  ui 
thither.  ICy  feet  iifere  so  lacerated  inat  I  could  scarcely, 
iftandg  and  a  horse  was  therefoie  provided  for  me. 
.At  length  after  a  Journey  of  four  days,  we  enu.'red  xhn^ 
town  of  Feinambuc.  My  first  business  was  to  go,  wii'i 
my  people,  to  present  myself  to  the  general,  Joseph  fHa 
Gorrea,  who  condescended  to  give  me  an  audie  » ;  after 
yrhich  Don  Franciaco  Miguel,  a  captain  of  a  king's 
sbipt  took  us  in  his  boat  to  procure  us  the  advantage  of 
saluting  the  adiniral  of  the  fleet,  Don  Juan  d'Acoata  da 
Porita  During  the  fifty  days  thitt.  we  leioained  at  Fet- 
nambuc  that  gentleman  never  ceased  to  load  me  with 
new  favprs  and  civilities.  His  generosity  ertendM  to 
all  my  companions  in  misfortune,  to  some  of  whom  he 
even  gave  wpointmonts  in  the  vessds  of  his  fleet 

Qn  the  fifth  of  October  we  set  bail,  and  arrived  with- 
out any  accid«oit,  at  Lisbon,  on  the  17th  of  December. 
On  the  second  of  January,  our  consul,  M.  du  Vemay, 
TOTOCttred  nie  a  passage  in  a  vesst.  ^nund  to  Morlaix. 
The  master  and  myself  went  on  \nyi  ^  together,  the  rest 
of  my  companions  being  distributed  among  other  l^ips. 
I  arrived  at  Morlaix  on  the  2d  of  February.  My  fatiffues 
obliged  me  to  take  a  few  days  rest  in  that  place,  from 
whence  I  repaired  on  the  1 0th  to  TOrifNit,  dv^wholoMd 
with  poverty,  having  lost  all  that  I  posspsped  in  the 
worldi  after  a  service  of  twenty«eighl  yearsi  and  with 
my  health  greatly  imp&ired  by  the  hardships  I  had 
enduied^ 


zhv^n  -iMitW-Viw>  jJt'iKvM 


■    1 


! 


•■•V.vi 


^-■^fct. 


.M:r/';'n  5?nt''Tif*iir*Wr»t!  nfm  "axfrsm  %ni:  mo  emtM 


»IX)19S  OF  HIS  MAJESTY'S  SHIP  PHCBIYIX,    "'> 


■f-\vy, . :?»'! 


Of  /A«  hkmdtf  Cuba,  in  ih&ffear  1780, »  «« 


H'T*!"? 


Tm  Photiix^  of  fortyofour  guns^  captain  ^t  Hyde 
Pftrker,  was  lost  in  a  hurricane,  off  Cnba,  in  the  ^i^ar 
1780.  The  same  hnrrksane  destroyed  the  Thunderer, 
seventy-lieMir;  Stirling  Castle,  sixty-four;  La  Blanche, 
fiwfty-two;  Laurel,  twenty-eight;  Andromeda,  twenty- 
eight;  Deal  Castle,  twenty-four;  Scarborough,  twenty; 
Beaver's  Prize,  sixteen ;  Barbadoes,  fourteen ;  Cameleon, 
fourteen ;  Endeavoif, ,  fourteen ;  and  Victor,  ten  gnns. 
Lieutenant  Archer  Was  first  lieutenant  of  the  Phoenix  at 
the  time  i^e  wtus  lost.  His  narrative  in  a  letter  to  his 
mother  contains  a  most  correct  and  animated  titcainit 
of  one  of  the  mo^t  aw4bl  events  in  the  service.  It  is  so 
sim{rte  and  natural  as  to  make  the  reader  feel  himself  tm 
boardt  the  Phosnix.  BVery  circumstance  is  detailed  with 
filing,  and  powerM  appeals  are  continually  mad^  to 
the  heart  It  must  likewise  afford  considerable  pleasure 
to  otMerve  the  devout  spirit  of  a  seaman  freouently  burst- 
ing forth,  and  imparting  sublimity  to  the  relation. 

'■'   r,r  imtmi  im-rr  ^  w  At  sea,  June  30.  1780:  n 

I  am  now  going  to  give  you  an  account  of  our  last 
cruise  in  the  PhtiMtf^^  and  must  premise,  thaft  should 
any  one  seir  it  beSlli^' yourself,  they  must  put  this  con- 
straotion  ofH  it^that  it  was  originally  intendef^  fcnr  the 
eyed  Of  s  iiioth^j  and  a  mother  only,  as,  uMn  that  sup- 
position, my  feelings  may  be  tolerated.  You  Wiff  also 
meet  with  a  number  of  sea  terms,  which,  if  you  don't  un- 
derstand, why,  I  cannot  help  you,  as  I  am  unable  to 
give  a  sea  description  in  any  other  words. 


LOSS  OF  HIS  MAiBSTT's  iBIF  MRBNIX. 


165 


To  begin  then: — On  the  2d  of  August,  1780,  we 
weighed  and  sailed  for  Port  Royal,  bound  fronrPensacolft, 
having  two  store-shtfMs  under  convoy,  and  to  see  safe  n ; 
then  eruise  off  the  Havannah,  and  in  the  gulf  of  Mexi- 
co, for  six  weelcs.  In  a  few  days  we  made  the  two 
sandy  islands,  that  look  as  if  they  had  just  risen  out  of 
the  sea^  or  fallen  from  the  sky ;  inhabited  nevertheless, 
by  upwards  of  three  hundred  English,  who  get  their 
bread  hf  catching  turdes  and  parrots,  and  raising  vege- 
tables, which  they  exchange  with  ships  that  pass,  for 
•lothing  and  a  few  of  the  luxuries  of  life,  as  nfttr.,  Sus.  i '' 

About  the  12th  we  arrived  at  Pensacola,  without  tixiy' 
thing  remarkable  happening,  except  our  catching  a  vast 
quantity  of  fish,  sharks,  dolf^ins,  and  bonettos.  On  the 
13th  sailed  singly,  and  on  the  14th  had  a  Very  heavy 
gale  of  wind  at  north,  rig^t  off  the  land,  so  that  we  soon 
left  the  sweet  place,  Pensacola,  a  distance  asterh.  We 
then  looked  into  the  Havannah,  saw  a  number  of  ships 
there,  and  knowing  that  some  of  them  were  bound  round 
the  bay,  we  cruised  in  the  track :  a  fortnight,  however, 
passed,  and  not  a  single  ship  hove  in  sight  to»  die^r  our 
spirits.  We  then  took  a  turn  or  two  round  ^!m  gulf,  but 
not  near  enough  to  be  seen  from  Uie  cdi<»e.  Vera  Cruz 
we  expected  would  have  made  us  happy,  but  th^  same 
luck  still  continued;  day  followed  day,  and  no  sail. 
The  dollar  bag  began  to  grow  a  little  bulky,  for  every 
one  had  lost  two  or  three  times,  and  no  one  had  wbn : 
(this  was  a  small  gambling  party  eintered  into  by  Sir 
Hyde  and  ourselves;  every  one  put  a  dollar  iiito  a  bag, 
and  fixed  on  a  day  when  we  should  see  a  sail,  but  no 
tivo  persons  were  lo  name  the  same  day,  and  whoever 
guessed  right  first  was  to  have  the  bag.) 

Being  now  tired  of  our  situation,  and  glad  the  cruise 
was  almost  out,  for  we  found  the  navigation  very  dan- 
gerous, owing  to  unaccountable  cunehts ;  so  shafwd  our 
course  for  cape  Antonio.  The  next  day  the  man  at  j 
the  mast-head,  at  about  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
called  out:  "  A  saii  upon  the  weather  bowl  Ha !  Ha! 
Mr.  S^niaid,  I  think  we  tetve  yoa  at  last    Tom  oat 


%' 


19% 


OIUrWBBCKSiCi    ^#<Nf 


aU  hands  I  mak^  Mul.  All  hands !  give  chase !"  Th«i^e 
was  aearoi^Y  any  occacion  iVir  this  order,  for  the  sound' 
of  a  sail  being  in  sight  flew  liJ^e  wildfire  through  thai 
8hip,,and&veiya«il  was  set,  in  an  instant,  almost  beforct? 
the  ordars  were  given.  A  Uentoiant  at  the  mast-head.-) 
with  a  spy  g^ass^  ''  What  is  she  T*  ''  A  large  tkip  stud^  ^ 
dmg  athwiurt  ri|^t  before  the  wind.  P-o-r-t !  Keep  hei; ' 
awai^ !  aet  tha  studding  sails  ready !"  Up  comes  that  ^ 
Jtittle  doctor,  rpibMng  his  bands;  ''  Imi  !  Ha  f  I  have  wim  < 
the  bag."  "The  deyil  lake  you  and  the  bag;  look,^t 
what's  ahead  will  fill  all  our  bass."  Mast-head  again  f£> 
"  Two  more  sail  <hi  the  larboard  beam !"  "  Aicfaer,  go 
up  and  see  what  you  can  make  of  them."  "  Upon  dedc*  t 
there;  I  see  a  whde  fleet  of  twenty  sail  coming  rights 
befois  the  wind."  " Confound  the  luck  of  it;  this  is^ 
scnne  convoy  or  other,  but  we  must  try  if  we  can  pick 
soii»e  of  them  out."  "  Haul  down  the  studding  sails  H 
Luff  I  bping  hereto  the  wind!  Jjet  us  see  whatweoaBf»i 
make  of  them."         ,   m        *  > 

About  five  we  got  pretty  near :  ttoih,  and  found  lliemu 
to  be  twenly-SNUL:.aail(^  Spanish  *mercair>tmen,  underf 
convoy  of  tfa^  line-of-battle  ships,  one  ot  which  chasecb^ 
us;  but  when  edbie  found  we  were  playing  with  h«r  (f(MF' 
the  f^kl  PjKBnix  had  heels)  she  left  chase,  and  joined  the<^. 
convoy^  whi(di  they  drew  up  mto  a  lump,  and  placed^I 
themsMves  at  the  outside;  but  we  still  kept  smelliB^l 
about  till  after  dark.  O,  for  the  Hector,  the  Albion,  ando 
a  fngate,  and  we  should  take  the  whole  fleet  and  conw; 
voy,  worth  some  millions  1  About  eight  o'clock  per-H 
ceived  three  sail  at  some  distance  from  the  fleet ;  dashed  li 
in  between  them  and  gave  chase,  and  vrete  hnpT^  tmi 
find  they  steered  from  the  fleet  About  twelve,  came  u(i§ 
with  a  larga  ship  of  twentyrsix  guns.  "  Ardhier,  every 
man  to  his  quarters !  run  the  lower  deck  suns  out,  andw 
light  th»  ship  up:  show  this  fellow  our  force;  it  mapg 


vo 


Sreyent  his  nring  into  us  and  killing  a  man  <Mr  two. 
[o  sooner  said  than  done.  ''  Hoa,  the  shiix ahoy  !  iowevb 
your  sails,  and  bring  to  ioatanti^y,  o?  T'»i  sink  you.'\r' 
Clatter,  clatter,  went  the  blocks,  and  aw^AV  Ik/w  all  ^eu* 


-/■■r," 


LOSS   OF  BM  MAVWrt'B  VBT  TWEinX. 


\ 


Bttils  in  pvoper  concision.     **  What  ship  is  lliat  V*    ^  Th# 
Pbllvs"     "Whence  came  you  !'»"  From    Jamaica." 
*<  Where  are  yon  boiwdr'    "To New  York."    "  What 
ship  is  that  1'^    "  The  Phoenix."    Huzza,  three  times  hy 
the  whole  ship's  company.    An  old  grum  fellow  of  a 
sailor  standing  cioie  by  me :  *'  O,  d — ^n  your  three  cheers, 
we  took  you  to  be  something  else."     Upon  existiAination 
we  found  it  to  be  as  he  reported,  and  that  they  had  h\Ui 
en  in  with  the  Spanish  fleet  that  morning,  and  were 
chased  tKe  whole  aay,  and  that  nothing  saved  them  but 
our  stepping  in  between ;  for  the  Sptiniards  took  ns  fott 
three  ccmiiorts,  and  the  Po41y  took  tihe  Phcenix  for  a 
Spanish  frigate,  till  we  hailed  tltetm.     The  other  vesaels 
in  company  were  likewise  bound  to  New  York.    Thiis 
was  I,  from  being  worth  thousands  in  idea,  reduced  to 
the  old  four  shillings  six-pence  again ;  for  the  little  doewi 
tor  made  the  most  prize  mor^ey  of  us  all  that  day,  by- 
winning  the  bag,  which  contained  between  thilty  and 
forty  dollars;  but  this  is  nothing  to  what  we  sa&mi 
sometimes  undergo.  hi,* 

r  After  parting  company,  we  steered  S.  S.  E.  to  go  round 
JIntoniO)  and  so  to  Jamaica,  (onr  cruise  being  out^^  willi 
oxa  fingers  in  our  mouths,  and  all  of  us  as  green  as  yon 
please,    it  happened  to  be  my  middle  watch,  and  aboot^ 
three  o'cloek,  when  the.man  upcm  the  forecastle  bawls 
out  "Breakers  ahead,  and  land  up(m  the  lee  bow;''  Ir 
looked  out,  and  it  was  so,  sure  enough.     '^Reaidy  abbot^' 
put  the  helm  down!  Helm  a  lee!"    Sir  Hyde  hearing 
me  put  the  ship  about,  jumped  upon  deek.     "  Arehei^^ 
what's  the  matter?    You  are  putting  the  ship  about 
without  my  orders!"    Sir,  'tis  time  to  go  abdnt;  tiwi 
ship  is  almost  ashore,  there  is  the  land.    *' Good  €k>dy[^ 
so  it  is  !  Will  the  ship  stay?"     Yes,  sir,  I  believe  sJb^ 
will,  if  we  don't  make  any  confiisioii ;  shek  all  aback 
— ^for ward  now?    "Well,  (says  he,)  work  the  islup,  I 
will  not  speak  a  single  word."     The  shipt  stayed  verf^i 
weli    Then  heave  the  lead  !  see  what  water  wehtvieiliy 
"  Three  fathom/'     Keep  the  ship  ajwayv  W.  OK.  W* 
"By^themaffeifanft"    "  SiiMr  won't  do,  Aieher/'    i^.. 
sir,  we  had  better  hauIiiiovB  tDtlwllorthw•Id/',^  wettaiM 
14 


•"*;■■ 


•    .t 


'^tiiix^'js 


liB^ 


jeif   BBIKAMEABLB  SHIPWRB0K8. 


■■>^J 


a  6L  E.  and  Had  better  steer  N.  N.  W.    "Steady,  and 
a  quarter  thiee.'*     This  may  do,  we  deepen  a  liltlfti 
**  JB^the  deep  four."    Yery  well,  my  lad,  heave  qnltk*' 
"  Five  iathMir."    That's  a  fine  feUow!  another  oast 
ninthly^    ^'Quarter  less  «ight"     That  will  do,  come,' 
we  shall  get  clear  bye  and  bye.    "Mark  under  wat^- 
five.''    What'a  thdt?    "  Only  five  fathom,  sir."    Turn, 
all  iHinda  up^  bring*  the  ship  to  an  anchor,  boy.    Are  the 
^  anchors  itear  ?    "  In  a  moment,  sir^ — All  clear."    What 
Wttter bavo  you  in  the  chaina now  1    "  Eight,  half  niue." 
Keep  &8t  the  acohors  till  I  call  you.    "Aye,  aye^air,  ali> 
fast"    "  I  have  no  ground  with  this  line."    How  many 
fathoms  have  you  out?  pass  along  the  deep  sea-line  1 
"Ay^,  aye,  sir,."    Heave  away,  watch!  watch!  bear 
away,  veer  away.    ", No  ground,;  sir,  with  a  hundied 
fatfiom."     That 's  clever,  come,  Madame  Phoenix,  there 
is  anotiler  squeak  in  you  yet~~«ll  down  but  the  watch  ;i 
secure  tfao  anchors  again ;  heave  the  main-toprsail  to  tbe^ 
mast  f  lu^  and  bring  her  to  the  wind !     (   ;  m.isi'M^  vhol 
I  told  you.  Madam,  you  should  have  a  liNile  aea^st* 
gbn :  if  you  cannnderstaiKl  half  of  what  it  already  said, 
I  wonder  at  it,  though  it  i»  nothing  to  what  is  to  comer 
yet,  when  the  old  hurricane  begins.    As  soon  as  the  ship, 
waea  little  to  rights^  and  aH  quiet  again,  Sir  Hyde  came 
to  WM  iA'^bm  most  frimdly  maiiner,   the  tiwni  elmostt 
stattiHgp  from  Ms  e3res—^"  Archer,  we  oi^hc  all  to  be 
mw^  oMftged^to  you  lor  the  safety  of  the  ship,  and  per- 
haps of  oitfselves.    I  am  particularly  so;  nothing  bu;, 
that  ;:dStantaiiteons  preser^  <^  mind  and  calmness  saved 
her;  another  diip's  length  and  we  should  have  been 
fast  (»lah6re<;^  had  you  bei^  the  least  diffident,  or  made 
thb  kiait  cbtaffusion,  so  as  to  make  the  ship  baulk  in  hff 
staji^,  ^e  must  have  been  inevitably  lost."    Sir,  yoi» 
ai«»  vMy  good,  but  I  ha?ve  done  nothing  that  I  suppose 
ahy^bdoycflse! would  not  have  don^,  in  thesame  situa- 
imtt^  t  dii  not  tarn  all  tke  handa  up,  knowing  the  ^ 
-vhitckt  able  to*  work  the  shtf ;  besidcii,  had  it  spread  im- 
mediately ibout  tiM  i^ip  ihffH  she*  Was  almoat  ashove,  it 
mMt  hMWOiiata*  aooafwitti  that  wsKbcltasrjtaUifl^ 
«#•»/'  sayHnliff,  « tis  #feU  aOimdL'*  A  .siJ'xf  bsi:ii  r^  .m 

hi 


LOSS  or  mi  m^jEtn^B  umw  nana. 


um 


it 


At  dayligkt  we  found  that  the  ciinrei^  hed  nt  us  ht-t' 
tureen  the  Colladora  rocks  and  cape  Antonio,  and  4lkt^, 
we  ooi^d  not  have  got  out  any  othei  way  than  we(iliid ; 
tnere  was  a  ehance,  but  Proyideoco  is.  the  best  juleil* 
We  had  sunset  that  day  twen^  leagues  to  the  &  £«*  of  / 
our  reckoning  by  the^urrent.  '    - 

After  getting  clear  of  this  scrape,  we  thought  ourselves  > 
fortunate,  and  made  sail  fcur  Jamaica,  but  fcislofftuno, 
seemed  to  follow  misfortune.     The  next  night,  mVf 
watch  upon  deck  too,  we  were  overtaken  by  a  squaU^! 
like  a  hutncane  while  it  lasted ;  for  though  I  saw  it  com- 
ing,  and  prepared  for  it,  yet,  wbm  it  took  the  riiip,  it* 
roared,  and  laid  h^  do^'^h  so,  that  I  thought  she  wouZ4' 
never  get  up  again.     However,  by  ke^mg  her  away, 
and  clueing  up  every  thing,  she  righted.     The  remaindmc , 
of  the  nidit  we  had  very  lM»avy  squalls,  and  in  tiiie  .iiom- 
ing  founa  the  main-mast  sprung  half  tlw  wav  through : 
ono  hundred  and  twenty-'three  leagues  to  the  leewarcTof 
Jamaica,  the  hurricane  months  coming  on,  the  head. oCr 
the  main-mast  almost  off,  and  at  a  short  allowance ;  weH^ 
we  must  make  the  best  ctf  it    The  piain-^mast  was  wdUi 
fished,  but  we  were  obliged  to  be  very  tender  of  carrying 
the  sail.  < 

Nothing  remarkable  ha|»pened  for  ten  dav»a^xward8|. 
when  we  chased  a  Ya^ee  man-of-war  ^r  six  hours, 
but  could  not  get  near  «iough  to  her  before  it  was  dark,  i 
to  keep  sight  of  her ;  so  that  weJost  her  b<^ause  unabtoj 
to  carry  any  8{*,il  on  the  main-mast.    I     sbout  twoivof 
days  more  male  the  iskind  of  Jomaioa,  having  weaAhe^rt 
ed  all  the  squalls,  and  put  into  Montego  bay  for  water  '^^ 
so  that  we  had  a  strong  |)arty  for  kickmg ,  up  a  dust  on 
shore,    having  found    ^hree    men-of" war   lying    there,  t 
Dancing,  dtp.  4cc.,  till  two  o'clock  c^ery  morning ;,li>'>tl«' 
thinking  what  was  to  happen,  in  fou.  days'  tkne :  for  -tM 
of  the  four  m^i-of-war  that  were  there^  not  ao»  waa  ia  ■. 
being  at  the  end  of  that  time,  and  i>ot  a  soul  alive  biit^« 
those  left  of  our  crew.    Many  pi  the  lu>uses  whese  w»t 
had  be^  so  merry,  were  so  completely  destaroyed^  thatrt 
scarcely  anTfttlga  lemoined  >tf|  m^yKlmm  ^NnilMndk 


Vi  il: 


'  1 '^1^  I'^NP '? ' 


[HJ^'T 


jp, 


MAKKi^BLE  BHI^RtCKfl     '^^ 


ttO' 


Thy  ^orks  aM  Wdiic^erftil  O  God !  praised  Wt^i^f  K^ 
n»ni6l  "  •■■'■^' 

Bepteitiber  t(}3  30tli,  weighed;  bour!  for  Poit  F<  :^tt^, 
rotRind  the  eastward  of  the  ^:;Irii4  ;  iiiO  fiarhifdoes  and 
Victor  had  sailed  the  day  befort;,  Hnd  me  Sca/borough 
wan  to  sail  the  next.  M(^erat<»  vea^er  until' October 
the  ad.  (S^N^e  the  Eaibadoes  ctl  Vm  Antohio  in  the 
eyenhif.  Atcileyeii  at  aigh*  it  be??;an  U)  flnuffle,  with  a 
nmcmstrottslioavy  bill  from  the  eastwei-d.  Close  reeff*d 
itee  t»);>BaJl».     i^irJHyde  sent  for  me  :  "What  sort 


weathfi  j'ii^e  Wc',,  Archer?"  It  blows  &  litth,  anvi  has  a 
veiy  tfgiy  <Ov»l"  -..  i{  in  xftj  other  quarter  but  this,  1  should 
8«y  w«  xvei-c  ^o'Bg  ij  have  a  gale  of  wind.  "  Aye,  it 
kxfks  so  'pfcT)'  aflen  here  when  there  is  no  wind  at  all ; 
hcwm<3T^  don  i  hoii^  t|ie  t9p-sails  till  it  clears  a  little; 
thfer.  13  no  trusting  any  cdunlry."  At  twelve  I  was  re- 
lieved ;  the  weather  had  the  same  rough  Iot;Jv ;  however, 
they  tn&de  s*il  upon-  her,  but  had  a  very  dirty  hightf 
At  ej8?ht  in  Ih6  momin|:  I  came  up  again,  found  itblovi^-' 
ingb  &rd  from  the  E.  N.  E.  with  clbsiEii  reefed  top-sails 
ixpofti  the  ship,  and  heavy  squalls  at  times.  Sir  Hyde 
came  upon  aeck :  "  Well.  Archer,  what  do  ^ttu  think  of 
it*?"  O,  sir,  'tis  only  a  touch  of  the  times,  we  shall  have 
an  observation  at  twelve  o'clock ;  the  clouds  are  begin- 
ning to  brieak ;  it  will  ctear  up  at  noon,  or  else  blow  very 
ham  afterwards.  *'"I  w?sh  it  would  cFear  ui>,  but  1 
doulbt  it  much.  I  was  dnee  in  u  hurricane  in  th6  Esist ' 
IndJk»s,  and  the  beginhing  of  it  had  much  the  same  ap- 
peaftuKCe  a«  this.  Bo  take  in  the  top-sails,  W^  have 
plenty  of  »ea-rdom."  ^^'H  '  ''■' 

At  tti^lve,  the  gale  still  incr^tising,  wore  ship,  to  keep 
as  near  mid-channel,  between  Jamaica  and  Cuba,  as 
possible ;  at  one  the  ^le  iucreasing  still ;  at  two  harder ! 
Heefed  the  ek>urses,  and  ftirled  them;  brout't  to  under 
afot&i  misesen  stay-sail,  head  to  the  north'tv  *  V  In  the'^ 
et>«9iing  MO  sign  of  the  weather  iakihg  off,  *  tery  tp-' 
peftTaiie<9  K^f  tibr  Ttorte  mcreasing,  pf«  ?  ▼*     jt  a  propei 


gate  of  wind;        ired  all  the  i^iUi 


'■'>■ 


,re  gai^ketsf ' 


gdod  ro2!i&|i:  tu^aites  upon  the  yards ;  e(c  u  >  xi  the  boom^f 
saw  the  boats  all  made  fast;  new  L^a.!  the  guns* 


_  ■     y 


LOSS  OF  HtS  MAIKSTT's  SBIP  PUCBNIX. 


m 


double  breeched  the  lower  deckers ;  saw  that  the  carpen- 
ters had  the  tarpauHns  and  battens  all  ready  for  the  hatch- 
ways; got  the  top-gallant-mast  down  ujpon  the  deck: 
jib-Doom  and  spnt-sail-yard  fbre  and  au ;  in  flct^  did 
eycry  thing  we  could  think  of  to  make  a  snug  ship. 

The  poor  devils  of  birds  now  beg&n  to  find  the  iij^roar 
in  the  elements,  for  numbers,  both  of  sea  and  land  kmds, 
came  on  board  of  us.  I  took  notice  of  some,  which  hap- 
pening to  be  to  leeward,  turned  to  windward,  like  a  ship, 
tack  and  tack;  for  they  could  not  fiy  against  it.  When 
they  came  over  the  ship  they  dashed  themselves  down 
upon  the  deck,  without  attempting  to  stir  till  picked  up, 
and  when  let  ao  again,  they  would  not  leave  the  ship, 
but  endeavored  to  hide  themselves  from  the  wind. 

At  ei^ht  o'clock  a  hurricane :  the  sea  roarinjB;,  but  the 
wuid  still  steady  to  a  point ;  aid  not  ship  a  spoonful  of 
water.  However,  got  the  hatchways  all  secured,  ex- 
pecting what  would  oe  the  consequence,  should  the  wind 
shift;  placed  the  carpenters  by  the  main-mast,  with 
broad  axes,  knowing,  from  experience,  that  at  the  mo- 
ment you  may  want  to  cnt  It  away  to  save  the  ship,  an 
axe  may  not  be  found.  Went  to  supper :  bread,  cheese, 
and  porter.  The  purser  frightened  out  of  his  wits  about 
his  bread  bags;  the  two  marine  officers  as  white  as 
sheets,  not  understanding  the  ship's  working  so  much, 
and  the  noise  of  the  lower  deck  guns ;  which,  by  this 
lime,  mr^de  a  pretty  screeching  to  the  people  nbf  used 
to  it ;  it  seemed  as  if  the  whole  ship's  side  was  goiuj^  at 
each  roll  Wooden,  our  carpenter,  was  all  this  time 
smoking  his  pipe  and  laughing  at  the  doctor;  the  se- 
cond lieutenant  upon  deck,  and  the  third  in  his  ham- 
mock. 

4t  ten  o'c!  •ck  I  thought  to  get  a  little  slee^f  came  to 
li- .  it)*"'  my  cot;  it  was  full  of  water;  for  ^very  seain, 
'y  the  stramJrg  of  the  ship,  had  begun  to  leak.  Stretch- 
ed myself,  therefore,  upon  ^'eck,  between  two  chests,  and 
left  ordera  to  be  called,  honld  the  lestst  thing  hnppen. 
At  twelve  a  midshipman  came  to  me :  "  Mr.  Archer,  we 
ara  just  going  to  wear  ship,  sir!^'  O,  very  well,  I'll  be 
up  directly;  what*sort  of  weather  have  you  got?    "It 


m 


v'faf' 


^jJusAUi^KABMi  swrwascKs. 


bbws  a  hurricane."  Went  upon  deck,  found  Sir  Hydt 
there.  ''  It  blows  damn'd  hard,  Archer."  It  does  iu- 
deedi  sirt  "  I  don't  know  that  I  ever  remember  its  blow- 
ing so  bard  before ;  but  the  ship  makes  a  very  good  vret^ 
ther  of  it  upon  this  tack  as  she  bows  the  sea ;  but  we 
must  wear  heir,  as  the  wind  has  shifted  to  the  S.  £4.  and 
we  ^se  drawing  right  upon  Cuba ;  so  do  you  go  for- 
ward, and  have  some  hands  stand  by;  loose  the  lee 
yard-am^  of  the  fore-sail,  and  when  she  is  right  before 
the  wind,  whip  the  clue  garnet  close  up,  and  roll  up  the 
sail."  Sir !  there  is  no  canvas  can  stand  against  this  a 
moment ;  if  we  attempt  to  Joose  him,  he  will  fly  into 
ribands  in  an  instant,  and  we  may  lose  three  or 
four  of  our  people ;  she  '11  wear  hy  manning  the  fore 
shrouds-  "  O,  I  don't  think  she  will."  I'll  answer  for 
it,  sir ;  I  l>ave  seen  it  tried  several  times  on  the  coast  of 
America  with  success.  ''  Well,  try  it ;  if  she  does  not 
we^,  we  can  only  loose  the  fore-sail  afterwards."  This 
was  a  great  condescension  from  such  a  man  as  Sir  Hyde. 
Howeyer,  by  sending  about  two  hundred  people  into  the 
fore-rigging,  after  a  hard  strug^^le,  she  wore:  found  she 
did  not  make  so  good  weathei  on  this  tack  as  (m  the 
other ;  for  as  the  sea  began  to  run  across,  she  had  not 
time  to  rise  from  one  sea,  before  another  dashed  r^gainst 
her.  Began  to  think  we  should  lose  our  mast^.  as  the 
ship  Lay  very  much  alon^,  bv  the  pressure  of  (he  wind 
oonstdtntly  upon  the  yards  ana  masts  alone :  for  thb  poor 
mizxen-stay-sail  had  gone  in  shreds  long  before,  and  the 
sails  began  to  fly  from  the  yards  through  the  gaskets 
into  coach  whips.  My  Qod!  to  think  that  tl^ie  wind 
could  ha?e  such  force.  ^ 

Sir  Hyde  now  sent  me  to  see  what  was  the  matter 
between  decks,  as  there  was  a  good  deal  of  noise.  As 
soo|^  is  I  was  below,  one  of  the  Marine  offers  calls 
out:  "  0oo4  God !  Mr.  Archer,  we  Are  sinking,  the  wa^f 
ter  is  up  to  the  bottom  of  my  cot."  Pooh,  pooh !  as  long, 
as  it  is  not  over  your  mou^,  you  are  well  ofl";  what  the 
devil  do  you  make  this  noise  for  1  I  four.  '  there  was 
some  water  bet^  een  decks,  but  nothina  to  b  .  rmed 
tf:  scuttled  the  deck,  and  it  ran  into  the  w^h      :  nd 


LOSS  or  HI*,  ^AXEBTJ*^  WIF  FI|(PMU[.  Ujfk 

she  made  a  good  deal  of  watw  through  the  sidei  fkn4 
decks;  turned  the  watch  below  to  the  pumps,  thouffh 
only  two  feet  of  water  in  the  well ;  but  e^^pected  to  bo 
kept  constantly  at  winrk  now,  as  the  ship  laoored  much, 
with  scarcely  a  part  g^>  her  above  water  out  the  quarter- 


going 


At  two  o'clock  the  chain  pump  was  choked;  set  the 
carpenters  at  work  to  clear  it ;  the  two  head  pumps  at 
work  upon  deck :  the  ship  gained  upon  us  while  our 
chain-pumps  were  idle;  in  a  quarter  of  an  koxu  they 
were  at  work  again,  and  we  began  to  gain  tipon  hei^i 
While  1  was  standing  at  the  pumps,  cheering  the  people, 
the  carpenter's  mat^  came  running  to  me  with  a  face  as 
long  as  my  arm :  "  0,  sir !  the  ship  has  spring  a  loak  ta 
the  gu^aer's  room."    Go,  then,  and  tell  the  carpenter  to 
come  to  me,  but  do  not  speak  a  word  to  any  o  t^  ^^^t 
Mr.  Goodinoh,  I  am  told  ther  >  \s  a  leak  in  the  gumer'^, 
room;  go  and  see  what  is  the  matter,  but  do  not  ai--' .^ 
any  body,  «pd  come  and  make  your  leimA  privately  iq , 
m^    In  a  i^ort  time  he  returr  cd ;  "  Sir,,  there  is  notming 
there,  it  is  oply  tlie  water  washing  up  between  the  tim^ 
oers,  that  this  booby  has  taken  lor  a  leak."     O,  very,, 
well ;  go  i^pon  deck  and  See  if  you  can  kc^  any  nf  thd? 
water  from  washing  down  below.    Sir,  I  have  had  fouf 
people  constantly  Keeping  the  hatchways  secui;<Pi)  hu^j 
there  is  such  a, weight  of  water  upon  the  deck  thJAt  iuk 
body  can  stand  it  when  the  ship  rolls.    The  gumKni 
soon  afterwards  came  to  me,  saying,  ''Jit.  A?>.i    ■■,.^^ 
should  be  glad  i^  you  would  step  this  way  itio  me 
magazine  for  aiu^ment"    I  thought  some  damned^||iin§; 
was  th^  matter,  aQd  ran  ^i'^y*    Well,  what  19  th%, 
luatterbere?  He  answered,  "  The  ground  tier  of  powder 
is  spoiled,  aUd  I  want  to  show  you  that  it  is  not  out  of 
cfijr   '^sness  in  me  \.  stowing  it,,  for^  no  powder  in  th«|^ 
woda  \io\x\d  be  bettt '  stowed.     Nor«-;  sir,  what  am  I  tg^. 
d^'^   ii  vpu  do  not  &peak  to  Sir  Hyde,  he  will  b^  f^W^ 
with  mcv''    I  qouid  npt  foxbear  soul'^g  to, see  kom  9m^* 


^tk  i..-.  ,.-...:'3;u>i',;.r»j'! 


T'^t^m" 


m 


'<<*^*)illIAKIABLI    •HIPWRIOKI.      ^^^ 


lie  took  the  dBt?<>«>  -  rf  Vte  ship,  and  said  to  him,  let  tif 
shake  off  thii"  uilc  v*'  <Jid  first,  and  talk  of  the  damaged 
powder  aftcv^cards. 

At  foar,  we  had  gained  upon  the  ship  a  little,  and  I 
went  upon  deck,  it  being  my  watch.  The  second  lieu- 
tenant relieved  me  at  the  pumps.  Who  can  attempt  to 
describe  the  appearance  or  thi'^v  pon  deck?  If  I  was 
to  write  forever,  I  could  noc  give  you  an  idea  uf  it — a  to- 
tal darkness  all  above;  the  sea  on  fire,  running  as  it 
Were  in  Alps,  or  Peaks  of  Teneriffe ;  (mountains  are  too 
oi/ir:*noD  an  idea;)  the  wind  roaring  louder  than  thunder, 
(aoiotntely  no  flight  of  imagination,)  the  whole  made 
moro  terrtole,  if  possible,  by  a  very  uncommon  kind  of 
blue  lightning ;  the  poor  ship  was  very  much  pressed, 
yet  domg  what  she  could,  shaking  her  sides,  ana  groan- 
m|^  at  every  stroke:  '  Sir  Hyde  upon  deck,  lashed  to 
windwar<^ !  I  soon  lashed  myself  alongside  of  him,  and 
told  him  the  situation  of  things  below,  saying  the  ship 
did  not  make  more  water  than  might  be  exp^ced  in 
such  weather,  and  that  I  was  only  afraid  of  a  gim  break- 
ing loose.  ''  I  am  not  in  the  least  afraid  of  that ;  I  have 
comni>*nded  her  six  years,  and  have  had  many  a  ^le  of 
wind  in  her;  so  that  her  iron  work,  which  always  gives 
way  first,  is  pretty  Well  tried.  Hold  fast !  that  was  an 
ugly  sea ;  we  must  lovrei  the  yards,  I  believe,  Archer ; 
the  ship  is  much  pressed."  If  we  attempt  it,  sir,  we 
shall  lose  then  for  a  man  alr^t  can  du  nothmg;  besides, 
thieir  being  down  would  ease  the  ship  very  little ;  the 
m*iin-mast  is  a  sprung  mast ;  I  wish  it  was  overboard 
inrithout  ciarrying  any  thing  else  along  with  it ;  but  that 
clui  soon  be  clone,  the  gale  cannot  last  forever ;  'it  will  soon 
be  daylight  now.  Found  by  the  master's  watch  that  it 
was  ave  o'clock,  thou^  >  at  a  little  after  four  by  ours : 
glad  it  was  so  near  ae]^  ^ht,  and  looked  for  it  with 
milch  anxiety.  Cuba,  uju  art  much  in  our  way! 
Another  ugly  sea;  sent  a  midshipman  to  bring  news 
from  the  pumps ;  the  ship  was  gaining  on  them  very 
much,  for  they  had  broken  one  of  their  chains,  but  it 
was  almost  mended  again.  News  from  the  pump  again. 
"She  stitf  gainfli !  a  heavy  lee  !"    Back  water  from  the 


t 


J 


.  „iti<i 


t 


9l> 


LOSS  Of  US  ■AJISTT'S  SUP  fHdNTX. 


leeward,  half  way  up  the  quarter  deck ;  filled  one  of  the 
cutters  upon  the  booms,  and  tore  her  all  to  pieces;  the 
ship  lying  almost  on  her  beam-ends,  and  not  attempting 
to  right  again.  Word  from  below  that  the  ship  stifl 
sained  on  them,  as  they  could  not  stand  to  the  j^npf  > 
|ihe  lay  so  much  alons.  I  said  to  Sir  Hyd« :— *^This  is 
no  time,  ,^r,  to  think  of  saving  the  masts ;  shall  we  cut 
the  main-mast  away  1  "  Aye !  as  fast  as  you  can."  I 
accordingly  went  into  the  weather  chains  with  a  pole 
ax,  to  cut  away  the  lanyards ;  the  boatswain  went  to  lee- 
ward, end  the  carpenters  stood  by  the  mast  We  were 
all  ready,  and  a  very  violent  sea  broke  right  on  board  of 
us,  carried  every  thmg  upon  deck  away,  filled  the  ship 
,  with  water,  the  niain  and  mizxen-masts  went,  the  «hip 
righted,  but  was  in  the  last  struggle  of  sinking  under  us. 

As  soon  as  we  could  shake  our  heads  alx>ve  water. 
Sir  Hyde  exclaimed,  ''  We  are  gone,  at  last,  Archer  i 
.  foundered  at  sea !"  Yes,  sir,  iiarewell,  and  the  Lord 
have  mercy  upon  us !  I  then  turned  about  to  look  at 
tlie  ship;  ana  thought  she  wjts  struraling  to  get  rid  of 
some  ot  jihe  water ;  but  all  in  vain,  she  was  amcoet  full 
below.  <'  Almighty  God !  I  thank  thee,  that  i)ow  1  am 
leaving  thiu  world,  which  I  have  always  considered  as 
only  a  pastjage  to  a  better,  1  die  with,  a  full  hope  of  thy 
merries  thvough  the  merits  of  Jesus  Christ,  tliy  Son,  our 
Savior!" 

I  then  felt  sorry  that  I  could  swim,  as  by  that  means 
I  might  be  a  quarter  of  an  hour  longer  dying  than  a  msp 
who  could  not,  and  it  is  impossible  to  Jivest  ourM|imt 
of  a  wish  to  preserve  life.  At  the  end  of  t)iies\^,^fi09^^» 
I  thought  I  heard  the  ship  thump  aii«i  grkioing  tigjpr 
oar  feet;  it  was  so.  Sir,  the  ship  is  ashore!  ".Wljat 
do  you  say  ?"  The  ship  is  ashore,  and  we  magji  sAve 
ourselves  yet !  By  this  time  the  quarter-deck  waafftiH 
of  men  who  had  come  up  from  below;  and  the  Loid 
have  msrcy  upon  us,  flying  about  from  all  quaiteis. 
The  ship  now  made  every  body  sensible  that  she  was 
ashore,  for  every  stroke  threatened  a  total  dissolution 
of  her  wj^ole  frame;  found  she  was  stem  ashore,  «nd 
die  bow  broke  the  s^  a  good  d^  thought  it  wasiWMih 


■II  t 


195 


iBltAftKAtti  nii?wit«cts. 


ikMrelean  orer  at  every  stroke.  Sir  Hyde  cried  out: 
*'  Keep  to  the  quarter-deck,  my  lads,  when  she  goes  to 
pieces,  it  is  your  best  chance  r  Providentially  got  the 
fore-matt  cut  away,  that  she  might  not  pay  round  broad- 
side. Lost  five-men  cutting  away  the  foremast,  by  the 
breakins  of  a  sea  on  board  just  m  the  tnast  went.  That 
was  nothiAK ;  evert  one  eipeeted  it  would  be  his  own 
fate  next :  looked  for  daybreak  with  the  greatest  impa- 
tienee.  At  last  it  came;  but  what  a  scene  did  it  show 
us !  The  ship  upoii  a  bed  of  rocks,  mountains  of  them  on 
one  side,  and  Cordilleras  of 'Wateron  the  other ;  our  poor 
ship  grinding  and  crying  out  at  every  stroke  between 
them ;  going  away  by  piece-meal.  However,  to  show 
the  unaccountable  workings  of  Providence,  that  which 
often  appears  to  be  the  greatest  evil,  tnroves  to  be  the 
greatest  sood  !  That  unmerciful  sea  lifted  and  beat  us 
up  so  high  among  the  rocks,  that  at  last  the  ship  scarcely 
moved.  She  was  very  strong,  and  did  not  go  to  pieces 
at  the  first  thumping,  though  her  decks  tumbled  in. 
We  found  afterwards  that  she  had  beiit  over  a  ledge  of 
rocks,  almost  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  extent  beVond  us, 
where  if  she  had  struck,  every  soul  of  us  must  have  pe- 
rished. 

I  now  began  to  think  of  gettin^^  on  shore,  so  stripped 

bff  my  coat  and  shoes  for  a  .swim,  and  looked  for  a 

line  to  carry  the  end  with  me.     Luckily  could  not  find 

oiW,  which  gave  me  time  for  recollection  :  "  This  Won't 

'i0  for  me,  to  be  the  first  man  out  pf  the  ship,  and  first 

<i^KMrtenant ;  we  may  get  to  Ensland  again,  and  people 

liMiiy^^iiUc  I  paid  a  great  deal  of  attention  to  myself,  and 

*#ftti<>t  <ittre  for  any  body  else.    No,  that  won't  do;  in- 

^i^i^  of  being  the  first,  I'll  see  every  m&n,  sick  and  we|l, 

mt  m her  before  me."  '',*'^  ' '' 

T  no^v  thought  there  was  no  probability  ctf"  the  ship's 
soon  going  to  pieces,  therefore  had  not  a  thought  of  m- 
stant  deatn ;  took  a  look  round  with  a  kind  of  philo- 
iophic  eye,  to  see  how  the  same  sitnatioti  aflected  my 
^tompanions,  and  was  surprised  to  find  the  most  swag- 
gering, swearing  bullies  in  fine  weather,  now  the  most 
j^ful  wtelches  on  earth,  when  death  appeared  before 


•n^- 


m 


.  jPIjj  i" 


M' 


•^ 


:^^ 


m. 


-Alia 


i 


t^  '-f'^V'ST','  ■■'■    '  ■*'.  • 


^^•^»■•:'?f;^^VKT-' 


# 


'^*!'^ 


•'*:yi*?^^;^i''^-'-*'V*^'f5.;;S%.JSa- 


■#-  *fv:: 


N. 


•.-.EV"".  i.    ■'_■>,<.  J... 


-iTMiffiiifri-Mitti 


^-  i 


LOSS  OP  HIS  MAJS8TT*8  SHlf  raCBNIX. 


m 


them.  However,  two  got  safe ;  by  which  means,  with  ' 
a  line,  we  got  a  hawser  on  shore,  and  made  fast  to  the 
rocks,  upon  which  many  ventured  and  arrived  safely.  >« 
There  were  some  sick  and  wounded  on  board,  who 
could  not  avail  themselves  of  this  method ;  we  there- 
fore got  a  spare  top-sail-yard  from  the  chains  and  placed 
one  end  ashore  and  the  other  on  the  cabin  window,  so 
chat  most  of  the  sick  got  ashore  this  way. 

As  I  had  detennined,  so  I  was  the  last  man  out  of  the 
ship ;  this  was  about  ten  o'clock.  The  gale  now  began 
to  break.  Sir  Hyde  came  to  me,  and  taking  me  by  the 
hand  was  so  affected  that  he  was  scarcely  able  to  speak. 
"  Archer,  I  am  happy  beyond  expression  to  see  you  on 
the  shore ;  but  look  at  our  poor  Phoenix  !"  I  turned 
about,  but  could  not  say  a  single  word,  being  too  full : 
my  mind  had  been  too  intensely  occupied  before ;  but  » 
every  thing  now  rushed  upon  me  at  once,  so  that  I  could 
not  contain  myself,  and  I  indulged  for  a  full  quarter  of 
an  hour. 

By  twelve  it  was  pretty  moderate ;  got  some  nails  on  " 
shore  and  mode  tents ;  found  great  quantities  of  fish 
driven  up  by  the  sea  into  holes  of  the  rocks ;  knocked 
up  a  fire,  and  had  a  most  comfortable  dinner.  In  the 
afternoon  made  a  stage  from  the  cabin  windows  to  the 
rocks,  and  got  out  some  provisions  and  watelr,  lest  the 
ship  should  go  to  pieces,  in  which  case  we  must  all  have 
perished  of  hunger  and  thirst ;  lor  we  were  Itpon  a  deso- 
late part  of  the  coast,  and  under  a  ro5  ky  mountain,  that 
could  not  supply  us  with  a  single  drop  of  water. 

Slept  comfortably  this  night,  and  the  next  day ;  the 
idea  of  death  vanishing  by  degrees,  the  prospect  or  beii^g 
prisoners,  during  the  war,  at  the  Havannah,  and  walk- 
mg  three  hundred  miles  to  it  through  the  \iroods,  #iis 
rather  unpleasant.  However,  to  save  life  for  the  present, 
we  employed  this  day  in  getting  more  provisions  and 
water  on  shore,  which  was  not  an  easy  matter,  on  ac- 
count of  decks,  guns,  and  rubbish,  nnd  ten  feet  water 
that  lay  over  them.  In  the  evening  I  proposed  to  Sir 
Hyde  to  repair  the  remains  of  the  on'/y  boat  left,  and  to 
venture  in  her  to  Jamaica  myself;  and  in  case  I  arrived 


I 


a 


-;.v:Vv 


■,,.,^r^,:r"- 


■■(:■ 


168 


,11  ^ 


»£MAEKABLK  8HIBWRBCKS.;. 


5>0. 


safe,  to  bring  vessels  to  take  them  all  off;  a  proposal 
worthy  of  consideration.  It  was  next  day  agreed  to ; 
therefore,  got  the  cutter  on  shore,  and  set  the  carpenters 
to  work  on  her ;  in  two  days  she  was  ready,  and  at  four 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  I  embarked  with /our  volunteers 
and  a  fortnight's  provision ;  hoisted  English  colors  as 
we  put  off  from  shore,  and  received  three  cheers  from 
the  fads  left  behind,  and  set  sail  with  a  light  heart ;  hav- 
Jing  not  the  least  doubt,  that,  with  God's  assistance,  we 

•  should  come  and  bring  them  alt  off.  Had  a  very  squally 
night,  and  a  very  leaky  boat,  so  as  to  keep  two  buckets 
constantly  baling.  Steered  her,  myself,  the  whole  night 
by  the  stan ,  and  in  the  morning  saw  the  coast  of  Jamai- 
ca, distant  twelve  leagues.  At  eight  in  the  evening,  ar- 
rived at  Montego  bay.    ,,,^  ,  ,f„ 

f,  I  must  now  begin  to  leave  off,  particularly  as  I  have 
but  half  an  hour  to  conclude ;  else  my  pretty  little  short 
letter  will  lose  its  passage,  which  I  should  not  like,  after 
being  ten  days,  at  different  times,  writing  it;  beating  up 
with  ^e  convoy  to  the  northward,  which  is  a  reason 
that  this  epistle  will  never  read  well ;  for  I  never  sat 
down  with  a  proper  disposition  to  go  on  with  it ;  but  as 
I  knew  something  of  the  kind  would  please  you,  I  was 
resolved  to  finish  it :  yet  it  will  not  bear  an  overhaul ; 
so  do  not  expose  your  son's  nonsense. 

But  to  pijpceed — ^I  instantly  sent  off  an  expre  '  to  the 
Admiral,  Mother  to  the  Porcupine  man-of-war,  and  went 

J  myself  to  Martha  Bray  to  get  vessels ;  for  all  their  ves- 
sels here,  as  well  as  many  of  their  horses,  were  gone  to 
Moco.  Got  three  small  vessels,  and  set  out  back  again 
to  Cuba,  where  I  arrived  the  fourth  day  after  leaving  my 

jobmpanions.  I  thoi^ht  the  ship's  crew  would  have  de- 
voured me  on  my  landing ;  they  presently  whisked  me 
up  on  their  shoulders,  and  carried  me  to  the  tent ;  where 

.Sir  Hyde  was. 

I!  I  must  omit  many  little  occurrences  that  happened  on 
shore,  for  want  of  time ;  but  I  shall  have  a  number  of 
stones  to  tell,  when  I  get  alongside  of  you ;  and  the  next 
time  I  visit  you,  I  shall  not  be  in  such  a  hurry  to  quit 
you  as  I  was  the  last,  for  then  I  hop&d  my  nest  would 


If 
be 


II  n'lnpi  innm»n»>^i 


mm^wm^ 


LOSS  OF  HIS  MAJESTY^S  SHIP  I A  TRIBUNE. 


169 


on 
of 

lext 
■quit 

mid 


have  been  pretty  well  feathered : — But  my  tale  is  for- 
gotten. 

I  found  the  Porcupine  had  arrived  that  day,  and  the 
lads  had  built  a  boat  almost  ready  for  launching,  that 
would  hold  fifty  of  them,  which  was  intended  for  another 
trial,  in  case  I  had  foundered.  Next  day,  embarked  all 
our  people  that  were  left,  amounting  to  two  hundred  and 
fifty ;  for  some  had  died  of  the  wounds  they  received 
in  getting  on  shore ;  others  of  drinking  rum,  and  others 
had  straggled  into  the  country.  All  our  vessels  were  so 
full  of  people,  that  we  could  not  take  away  the  few 
clothes  that  were  saved  from  the  wreck ;  but  that  was 
a  trifle  since  we  had  preserved  our  lives  and  liberty. 
To  make  short  of  my  story,  we  all  arrived  safe  at  Mon- 
tego  bay,  and  shortly  after  at  Port  Royal,  in  the  Janus, 
which  was  sent  on  purpose  for  us,  and  were  all  honora- 
bly acquitted  for  the  loss  of  the  ship.  I  was  made  ad- 
miral's aid  de  camp,  and  a  little  time  afterwards  sent 
down  to  St.  Juan  as  a  captain  of  the  Resource,  to  bring 
what  were  left  of  the  poor  devils  to  Blue  Fields,  on  the 
Musquito  shore,  and  then  to  Jamaica,  where  they  arriv- 
ed after  three  months  absence,  and  without  a  prize, 
though  I  looked  out  hard  off  Porto  Bello  and  Carthage- 
na.  Found,  in  my  absence,  that  I  had  been  appointed 
captain  of  the  Tobago,  where  I  remain  his  majesty's 
most  true  and  faithful  servant,  and  my  dear  mother's 
most  dutiful  son.         .t.  .    ,— ' ARCHER. 


:-)!' 


•;r.;t; 


Ju   % 


LOSS  OF  klS  MAJEStY^S  SHIP  LA  TRIBUNE, 

Of  Halifax f  {Nova  Scotia,)  November,  1797. 

La  Tribune  was  one  of  the  finest  frigates  in  his  ma- 
jesty's navy ;  mounted  forty-four  guns,  and  had  recently 
been  taken  from  the  French  by  captain  Williams,  in  the 
Unicorn  frigate.  She  was  .commanded  by  captain  S. 
Barker ;  on  the  32d  of  September,  1797,  sailed  from  Tor- 
bay,  as  convoy  to  the  Quebec  and  Newfoundland  fleeth. 
15 


4 


:i-t 


I 


* 


iro 


,  a  •»':■,»«! 


^^tlL.  ^KABLK  SJiir WRECKS. 


I 


:...'.J 


In  latitude  forty-nine  degrees,  fourteen  miputes,  longi-' 
tudc  seventeen  degrees  twenty-two  minutes  she  fell  in 
with  and  spoke  his  majesty's  ship  Experiment,  from 
SBalifax;  and  lost  sight  of  all  her  convoy  on  the  10th  of 
October,  in  latitude  seventy-four  degrees  sixteen  n^nutes, 
longi'iude  thirty-two  degrees  eleven  minutes. 

About  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  following 
Thursday,  they  came  in  sight  of  tlie  harbor  of  I^alifax, 
and  ai^roached  it  very  fast,  with  an  £.  S.  £.  wind, 
when  captain  Barker  proposed  to  the  master  to  lay  the 
ship  to,  till  they  could  procure  a  pilot.  The  master  re; 
plied,  that  he  had  beat  a  forty-four  gun  ship  into  the  har- 
bor, that  he  had  frequently  been  there,  ana  there  was  no 
occasion  for  a  pilot,  as  the  wind  was  favorable.  Con- 
fiding in  these  assurances,  captain  Barker  went  into  his 
cabin,  where  he  y^s  employed  in  arranging  some  papers 
which  he  intended  to  take  on  shore  with  him.  In  the 
mean  time,  the  master,  placing  great  dependence  on  the 
judgment  of  a  negro,  named  John  Cosey,  who  had  for- 
merly belonged  to  Halifax,  took  upon  himself  the  pilot- 
age of  the  ship.  By  twelve  o'clock,  the  ship  had  ap- 
proached so  near  Thrum  Cap  shoals,  that  the  master 
became  alarmed,  and  sent  for  Mr.  Galvin,  master's  mate, 
Vho  was  sick  below.  On  his  coming  upon  deck,  he 
neard  the  man  in  the  chains  sing  out,  "by  the  mark 
five !"  the  black  man  forward  at  the  same  time  crying, 
"  steady  !"  Galvin  got  on  one  of  the  carropades  to  ob- 
serve the  situation  of  the  ship ;  the  master  ran,  in  great 
agitation,  to  the  wheel,  and  took  it  from  the  man  who 
'  was  steering,  with  the  intention  of  wearing  the  ship ; 
but  before  this  could  be  effeclted,  or  Galvin  was  able  to 
give  an  opinion,  she  struck.  Captain  Barker  immedi- 
ately went  on  deck  ^n4  reprofiched  the  master  wiih  hav- 
ing lost  the  ship.  Seeing  Galvin  likewise  on  deck,  he  ad- 
dressed him,  and  said,  "  that,  knowing  he  had  formerly 
sailed  out  of  the  harbor,  he  was  surprised  iiu  could 
stand  by  and  see  the  master  run  the  ship  on  shore ;"  to 
which  Galvin  replied,  "  that  he  had  not  been  on  dec^ 
long  enough  to  give  an  opiaion."  "  ,  ;  '  •« -  "' 
.  ^gnals  of  distress  were  instantly  made,  and  answer- 


I 


•i' 


.b- 
sat 


. 


LOSS  or  BIS  HAJXSTT'S  SiOP  tA  TRIBTTNB. 


ler- 


ed  by  military  posts  and  ships  in  the  harbor,  from  vhicb; 
as  well  as  the  dock-yard,  boats  immediatety  put  off  to 
the  relief  of  the  Tribune.  The  military  boats,  and  ntjiM 
of  those  from  the  dock  yard,  v/ith  Mr.  Kackumj  boat- 
swain of  the  Ordinary,  reached  the  ship,  but  the  wind 
was  so  much  against  the  others,  that,  in  spite  of  all  their 
exertions,  they  were  unable  to  get  an  board.  The  ship 
was  immediately  lightened,  by  throwing  overboaid  aU 
her  guns,  excepting  one  retained  for  Lignals,  C4id  every 
other  heavy  article,  so  tliat  about  half  past  «ight  o'clock 
in  the  evening,  the  ship  began  to  heave,  and  at  nine,  got 
off  the  shoals.  She  had  lost  her  rudder  about  three 
hours  before,  and  it  was  now  found,  on  examination, 
that  she  had  seven  feet  of  water  in  her  hold.  The  chain- 
pumps  were  immediately  manned,  and  such  exertions 
were  made,  that  they  seemed  to  gain,  on  the  leaks. 
By  the  advice  of  Mr.  Rackum,  the  captoin  ordered  the 
best  bower  anchor  to  be  let  go,  but  this  did  not  bring  lier 
up.  He  then  ordered  the  cable  to  be  cut;  and  the  jib 
and  fore  top-mast  stay-sail  were  }u)isted  to  steer  by. 
During  this  interval  a  violent  gale,  which  had  come  on 
at  S.  £.,  kept  increasing,  and  carrying  the  ship  to  the 
western  shore.  The  small  bower  anchor  was  soon  af? 
ter wards  let  go :  at  which  time  they  found  themselv^ 
in  thirteen  fathom  water,  and  the  mizzen-mast  w«|^then 
cut  away.  "^ 

It  was  now  ten  o'clock,  and  as  the  water  gained  fast 
upon  them,  the  crew  h  ad  but  little  hope  left  of  saving 
either  the  ship  or  their  lives.  At  this  critical  period, 
lieutenant  Campbell  quitted  the  ship,  and  lieutenant 
North  was  taken  into  the  boat,  out  of  one  of  the  ports. 
Ifom  the  momen<  at  which  the  former  left  the  vessel,  all 
hopes  of  safety  had  vanished ;  the  ship  was  sinking  fast, 
the  storm  was  increasing  with  redoubled  violence,  and 
tlie  rocky  shore  whicli  they  were  approaching,  resound- 
ing with  the  tremendous  noise  of  the  rolling  billows, 
presented  nothing  to  those  who  might  survive  the  loss 
of  the  ship,  but  the  expectation  of  a  more  painful  death, 
by  being  dashed  against  precipices,  which,  even  in  the 
calmest  d^y,  it  is  impossible  to  ajscf  nd    Dj^niap,  cnq^ 


-;--Jfjsm^ 


( l. 


I- 


■'i^- 


■-■.jK^-i 


.^- 


•i/i 


BXHARKABLB  SHIPWRBCK8. 


of  the  survivors,  declared,  that  about  half  past  ten,  as 
nearly  as  he  could  conjecture,  one  of  the  men  who  had 
i)een  below,  came  to  him  on  the  forecastle,  and  told 
him  it  was  all  over.  A  few  minutes  afterwards,  the  ship 
t<x)k  a  lurch,  like  a  boat  nearly  filled  with  water  and 
going  down;  on  which  Duulap  immediately  began  to 
ascend  the  fore-shror.ds,  and  at  the  same  moment  cast- 
ing his  eyes  towards  the  quarter-deck,  he  saw  captain 
Barker  HBtanding  by  the  gangway,  and  looking  into  the 
water,  and  directly  afterwards  he  heaiid  him  call  for  the 
jolly-boat.  He  then  saw  the  lieutenant  of  marines  run- 
ning towards  the  taifrel,  to  look,  as  he  s^ppos<^d,  for  the 
jolly-boat,  which  had  been  previously  let  down  with 
men  in  her ;  but  the  ship  instantly  took  a  second  lurch 
and  sank  to  the  bottom,  after  which  neither,  the  captain 
nor  any  of  the  other  officers  were  again  seen.  ,p, 

The  scene,  before  sufficiently  distressing,  now  became 
pecuharly  awful.  More  than  two  hundred  and  forty 
men,  besides  several  women  and  children,  were  floating 
on  the-  waves,  making  the  last  effijrt  to  preserve  life. 
Dunlap,  who  has  been  already  mentioned,  gained  the 
fore-top.  Mr.  Galvin,  the  master's  mate,  with  incredible 
difficulty,  got  into  the  main-top.  He  was  below,  when 
the  ship  sank,  directing  the  men  at  the  chain-pump,  bu< 
was  washed  up  the  hatchway,  thrown  into  the  waist, 
and  from  thence  into  the  waiter,  and  his  feei,  as  he  plung- 
ed, struck  against  a  rock.  On  ascending  he  swam  to 
gain  the  main-shrouds,  when  three  men  suddenly  seized 
hold  of  him.  He  now  gave  himself  up  for  lost ;  but  to 
disengn  ge  himself  from  them  he  made  a  dive  into  the 
water,  which  caused  them  to  quit  their  grasp.  On  rising 
again  he  swam  to  the  shrouds,  and  having  reached  the 
main-top,  seated  himself  on  an  arm  chest  which  was 
lashed  to  the  mast. 

From  the  observations  of  Galvin,  in  the  main-top,  and 
Dunlap,  in  the  fore-top,  it  appears  that  nearly  one  hun- 
dred persons  were  hanging  for  a  considerable  time,  to  the 
shrouds,  the  tops,  and  other  parts  of  the  wreck.  From 
the  length  of  the  night,  and  the  severity  of  the  storm, 
nature,  however,  became  exhausted,   and  during  the 


m 


I 


i 


isssamm 


wwMIIrWMI 


\ 


■p  I 


■■sr;. 


^t,^^ 


le 


1^^ 


fjfe-" 


M 


'i--^.tAiL-  ■ 


t 


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fV.Yt^ 


.■f?^, 


'•ftn*. 


r 


^#., 


vj-  / 


'•i»    "-^ 


;-.--^,H^fi. 


:ffi 


# 


^'^ 


4: 


^. 


^■W?-*!" 


'^'i»: 


■  r.iliijii  " 


ww«^  ^"■^^i'*?^'*'*"^^ 


i-*"-. 


■# 


i^^ 


J^: 


^■^  V  ^ 


■'.'*= 


''€' 


,:ip9l- 


LOSS  OF  HIS  MAJKSTT's  SaiP  LA  TBIBUNB. 


ITS 


whole  ni^'il,  they  kept  Iropping  off  and  disapj^aringl 
The  cries  n:  d  groans  of  the  unluippy  sufferers,  u'om  the 
I  uises  many  of  them  had  leceived,  and  their  hopes  of 
deUverance  beginning  to  fail,  were  continued  through 
the  night ;  hut  as  morning  approached,  in  ccmsequence 
of  the  few  who  then  f^urvived,  they  became  extremely 
feeble. 

About  twelve  o'clock,  the  main-mast  gave  way ;  at 
that  time  there  were,  on  the  main-top  and  shrouds,  about 
forty  persons.  Py  t>  e  fall  of  the  mast  the  whcde  of 
*iese  unhappy  wretches  were  again  plunged  mto  the 
water,  and  ten  only  re^  aued  the  top,  which  rested  »-'n 
the  main  yard,  and  the  whole  remained  fast  to  th  j  ship 
by  some  of  the  rigging.  Of  the  ten,  who  thus  reached 
the  top,  four  only  were  alive  when  morning  appeared. 
Ten  were  at  that  time  alivu  on  the  fore-top,  but  three 
were  so  exhausted,  and  so  helpless,  that  they  were 
washed  away  before  any  relief  arrived ;  three  others  pe- 
rished, and  thus  only  four  were,  at  last,  left  alive  on  the 
fore-top. 

The  place,  where  the  ship  went  down,  was  barely 
three  times  her  length  to  the  southward  of  the  entrance 
into  Herring  Cove.  The  '-y  ibitants  came  down  in  the 
night,  to  the  point  opposiN  to  which  the  ship  sank,  kept 
up  large  fires,  ^nd  were  so  x^car  as  to  converse  with  the 
people  on  the  wreck. 

The  first  exertion  that  was  made  for  their  relief  was 
by  a  boy  thirteen  years  old,  from  Herring  Cove,  who 
ventured  off  in  a  small  skiff  by  himself  about  eleven 
o'clock,  the  next  day.     T  ds  youth,  with  great  labor  audi 
extreme  risk  to  himself,  l»<  Mly  approached  the  wreck, 
and  backed  in  his  litiie  boat  so  near  to  the  fore-top,  as. 
to  take  off  two  of  the  men,  for  the  boat  could  Jiot,  with 
safety,  hold  any  more.    Aud  here  a  trait  of  generous, 
magnanimity  was  exhibite*^     which  ought  not  to  pasei 
unnoticed.     Dunlap  and  another  man,  named  Monra, 
had,  throughout  this  disastrous  night,  preserved  their 
strength  and  spirits  in  a  greater  iegree,  than,  their  un- 
fortunate companions,  whom  they  endeavored  to  cheer* 
and  encourage  when  iW^r  found  their  spirits  sinking. 
16* 


., '  >    * 


«*5^ 


•i 


,1'      :^f 


174 


KitHTARKIBLB   SRIPir&RnCS. 


Upon  tira  smv^l  of  the  boat;  these' ttiro  ihTght  hvL^e  mp 
fnd  imo  it,  and  thus  have  tenninated  their  own  suffer- 
inn ;  for  their  two  companions,  though  alive,  were  un- 
tm»  to  stir ;  they  lay  exhausted  on  the  top,  wishing  not 
to  be  disturbed,  and  seemed  desirous  to  perish  in  that 
aitnation.  These  generous  fellows  hesitated  not  a  mo- 
ment to  remain,  themselves,  on  the  wreck,  and  to  save 
their  nnfortunate  companions,  agamst  their  will.  They 
lifted  them  np,  and  with  the  greatest  exertioi^  placed 
them  in  the  little  skiff;  the  manly  bwj  rowed  them  tri- 
umphantly to  the  Cove,  and  immediately  had  them  con- 
veyed to  a  comfortable  habitation.  Alter  shaming,  by 
his  example,  older  persons,  who  had  larger  boats,  he 
again  put  off  with  his  skiff,  but  with  all  his  efforts,  he 
could  not  then  approach  the  wreck.  His  example,  how- 
ever, was  soon  followed  by  four  of  the  crew,  who  had 
escaped  in  the  Tribune's  jolly-boat,  and  by  some  of  the 
beats  in  the  Cove.  With  their  joint  exertions,  the  eight 
men  wery  preserved;  and  these,  with  the  four  who  had 
saved  rlrrttn.st  Ives  in  the  jolly-boat,  were  the  whole  of  the 
surviiro)t(?  of  ihis  fine  ship's  company."  .''''*    '"  * 

A  circiirc.;itance  occurred,  in  which  that  cool  tfiougfit*- 
kssness  oi  danger,  which  so  ofteu  distinguishes  the 
British  tars,  was  displayed  in  such  a  striking  manner, 
Uiat  it  would  be  inexcusable  to  omit  it.  Daniel  Monro, 
as  we  have  already  seen,  had  gained  the  fore- top.  He 
suddenly  disappeared,  and  it  was  concluded  he  had 
been  washed  aiRtay,  like  many  others.  After  being  ab- 
sent from  the  top  about  two  hours,  he,  to  the  surprise  of 
Dnnlap,  who  was  likewise  on  the  fore-top,  raised  his 
head  through  the  lubber-hole.  Punlap  inquiring  where 
he  had  been,  he  told  him  h.t  had  been  cruising  for  a 
better  birth ;  that  after  swiming  about  the  wreck  a  con- 
siderable time,  he  had  returned  to  the  for^-shrouds,  and 
crawling  in  on  the  cat-harpings,  had  actually  beer  sleep- 
ing diere  more  than  an  hour,  and  appeared  greatly  re- 
fie9hed. 


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L-J^'      ^.     -.fV..^      ^J.^-.  Mikh      alto- 


AK  ^XTRAORDINA  MINE  IN  THE  AMB- 

.7.  KICAN  F     T  PEGGY,''"''  "'^'*'  ^  ^^' 


<'Y 


ttf  ftew  Tor*,  tit  tt^i. 


'"^  Faijii!^  frequently  leads  men  to  the  Commission  of  the 
most  honible  excesses:  ihsnasible,  oti  such  occasionjL  to 
the  appeals  of  natui^  and  teasou.  man  assumes  the  cna* 
racter  of  a  beast  of  prey ;  he  is  aeaf  to  every  representar^ 
tion,  and  coolly  meaitate»  the  death  of  his  fSelfov-cre^! ;. 
ture!  ^J*:i,  ■-^^. 

One  of  these  scenes,  00  afflicting  to  nuMatiitv,  was,  in 
the  year  1765,  exhibitl^d  in  the  brigantine  tne  Peggy, 
David  Harrison,  commander,  frei^ted  by  r  ertain  mer- 
chants of  New  York,  and  bound  to  the  Azores.  She 
arrived  without  accident  at  Fajra!  one  df  those  islands, 
and  having  disposed  of  her  cargi  took  on  board  a 
lading  o(  wine  and  spirits.  On  the  24it}i  of  October, 
of  the  same  year,  she  set  sail  on  her  return  to  Neur 
York.  'i'  ' 

On  the  29th,  the  wind,  whidilkrftill  tften  lieeh  favor-" 
able,  suddenly  shifted.  Violent  storms,  which  succeeded 
each  other,  almost  without  interruption,  during  the 
month  of  November,  did  much  damiagi^  to  the  vessel. 
fn  spite  of  all  the  exertions  bf  the  criew,  atid'  the  experi- 
ence of  the  captain,  the  masts  went  by  the  board,  and 
all  the  sails,  excepting  one,  were  torn  tb  rags :  and,  to 
add  to  their  distress,  several  leaks  #i^re  discovi^red  in 
the  hold;  .„ 

At  the  beginning  df  Decembei^,  the  Wiifif  ell^li^a  little, 
but  the  vessel  was  driven  out  of  her  course ;  and,  desti- 
tute of  masts,  sails,  and  rigging,  she  was  perfectly  un- 
manageable, and  drifted  to  and  fro,  at  the  mercy  of  tfeft 
waves.  1.*is,  however,  vhia  the  smallest  evil;  anothor; 
ofa*mueH'  more  alarming  nature  sodn  mttni^i^  itMti/ 


«» 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


// 


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Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


23  WIST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14S80 

(716)872-4503 


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176 


%f 


BBMABXABLB  8HIPWRBCX8. 


Upon  examining  the  state  of  the  provisions,  they  were 
found  to  be  almost  totally  exhausted.  In  this  deplora^ 
ble  situation,  the  crew  had  no  hope  of  relief,  but  from 
chance. 

A  few  days  after  this  unpleasant  discovery,  two  ves- 
sel were  descried-  early  one  morning,  and  a  transient 
ray  of  hope  cheered  the  unfortunate  crew  of  the  ^eggy. 
The  sea  ran  so  high  as  to  prevent  captain  Harrison  from 
approaching  the  diips,  which  were  soon  out  of  sight 
The  disappointed  seamen,  who  were  in  want  of  every 
thing,  then  fell  upon  the  wine  and  brandy,  with  which 
the  ship  was  laaen.  They  allotted  to  the  captain  two 
smAI  jnrs  of  water,  each  containing  about  a  gallon, 
being  the  remainder  of  their  stock.  Some  days  elapsed, 
during  which  the  men,  in  some  measure,  appeased  the 
painful  cravingsiof  hunger,  by  incessant  intoxication. 

On  Uie  fourth  day,  a  s^ip  was  observed  bearing  to- 
wards them,  in  full  sail :  no  time  was  lost  in  making 
signals  of  distress,  and  the  crew  had  the  inexpressible 
satisfaction  to  perceive  that  they  were  answer^.  The 
sea  was  sufficimtly  calm  to  permit  the  two  vessels  to  ap» 
proach  each  other.  The  strangers  seemed  much  affect- 
ed by  the  account  of  their  sufferings  and  misfortunes, 
and  promised  them  a  certain  quantity  of  biscuit ;  but  it 
was  not  immediately  sent  on  board,  the  captain  alleging, 
as  an  eaccuse  for  the  delay,  that  he  had  just  begun  a 
nautical  observation,  which  he  was  desirous  to  nnish, 
^Wever  unreasonable  such  a  pretext  appeared,  under 
the  present  circupistances,  the  famished  crew  of  the 
Peg^  was  obliged  to  submit.  The  time  mentioned  by 
the  captain  had  nearly  expired,  when,  to  their  extreme 
mortincation,  the  latter,  regardless  of  his  promise,  crowd- 
ed all  his  sails  and  bore  away.  No  language  is  ade- 
quate to  describe  the  despair  and  consternation  which 
then  overwhelmed  the  crew.  Enraged,  and  destitute  of 
hope  they  fell  upon  whatever  they  liad  spared  till  then. 
The  only  animals  that  remained  on  board  were  a  couple 
of  pigeons  and  a  cat,  which  were  devoured  in  on  in- 
stai^t.  The  only  favor  they  showed  the  captain  was,  to 
roserve  for  him  the  head  of  the  cat    He  afterwards  d»> 


■sjlfri 


n§ 


.^0k;^ 


T" 


A  FAMINE  IN   THS  ABCSBIOAN  fHIP  PEOOT. 


irr 


i 


■ 


dared,  that  however  disgusting  jLt  would  havj?  been  on 
any  other  occasion,  he  thou^^t  it,  at  that  moment,  a  troat 
exquinteiy  delicious.  The  unfortunate  men  then  supr 
ported  their  existence  by  living  on  (H^  candles^  and 
leather,  and  these  wejw  entirely  consumed  by  t)ie  ^ih 
of  DecemboF. 

viFrom  that  day  qntil  the  13th  of  January,  it  is  impos- 
sible to  tell,  in  what  maimer  they  subsisted.  Captain 
Harrison  had  been  for  some  timie  unable  tp  Jeaye  his  ca- 
bin, being  confined  to  his  bed  by  a  severe  fit  of  the  gout» 
On  the  las^  mentioned  day,  the  sailors  went  to  him  in  a 
body,  with  the  mate  at  i^eir  hesid ;  the  latter  acted  as 
spokesman,  and  after  an  affecting  repfese^tation  of  th« 
deplorable  state  to  ^irhich  they  were  reduced^  declai^ 
that  it  was  necessary  to  sacrifice  one,  in  order  to  save 
the  rest ;  adding,  that  their  resolution  was  irrevocably 
fixed,  and  that  they  intended  to  cast  lots  for  the  victim. 

The  captain,  a  tender  and  humane  man,  could  not 
hear  such  a  barbarous  propositipn  without  shuddering : 
he  represented  to  them  that  they  Wjere^  19^  and  ought 
to  regard  each  other  as  brethren ;  that  by  such  an  asr 
sasmination,  they  would  forever  consign  themselves  to 
universal  execration,  and  commanded  them,  with  all  his 
authority,  to  relinquish  the  idea  of  committing  such  an 
atro(sious  crime.  The  captain  was  silent;  but  he  had 
spoken  to  deaf  men.  The^*all  with  one  voice  replied, 
that  it  was  indifferent  to  them,  whether  he  approved  oL 
their  resolution  or  not ;  that  they  had  only  acquainted 
him  with  it,  out  of  respect,  and  because  be  would  run 
the  same  risk  as  themselves ;  adding  that,  in  die  general 
misfortune,  all  command  and  distinction  were  at  an  end. 
With  these  words,  they  left  him,  and  went  upon  deck, 
where  the  lots  were  drawn. 

A  negro,  ^ho  was  on  board  and  belonged  to  captain 
Harrison,  was  the  victim.    It  is  more  than  probable,  that  ., 
the  lot  had  been  consulted  only  for  the  sake  ojf  formr 
and  that  the  wretched  black  was  proscribed,  the  miHiMnl  ^ 
the  sailors  firpt  formed  their  resolution.    They  instanU^ 
sacrificed  him.    One  of  the  crew  tore  out  his  li?er 
deYQuied  i(,  without  hay4og  tb«  patience  to  ^i^ssifc: 


,,-    -1 


III 


.t»&m    ^tmAWktLE  SliirWBfiCKS. 


wardfl  taken  ill,  and'diied  the  Ibllowing  day  .n  conTUt- 
■ioiis,  and  %iih  all  the  syitiptoAM  of  Maahesis.  fhtht  ot 
hie  comrades  proposed  to  keep  his  body  to  live  upon, 
after  the  negro  #M  donsutii^ ;.  but  this  adrice  was  re- 
jected by  the  majority,  doubtless  on  account  of  the  ma- 
lady whi^  had  edrried  liik  off.  He  WaiSj  thetefore, 
threfwn  overboard,  and  consigfied  t6  the  deepi;  •    ^  /' 

Th^  captAin,  in  the  kiletvals,  when  he  Wi[^  Iheleakt 
tbmeMea  by  the  gmit,  was  noV  more  exempt  fihMn  thte 
Attacks  of  mmgisr,  thtai  th^  rest  of  the  crew,  but  fie  re- 
sisted all  the  persuattkms  of  his  men  to  pa^siDe  of  their 
horrid  renast.  He  contiented  himself  irith  th6  water 
%hich  iiac^bden  assigned  to  him,  mixing  With  it  a  stAttTl 
quantity  0^  spirits,  and  tbis  was  the  only  sustenance  he 
tix)k  dnrii]«;  tM  whels  Wiod  of  hiij 

The  bbdy  of  ^e  ne^o,  eciMlly  divided,  and  eaten 
^th  the  greatest  ecoMbttiy,  last^  till  the  26th  of  Janu- 
ary. (^  tlie  39th,  the  fi^inhed  crew  di^ib^rated  upon 
sewetiiig  a  second  vittim.  They  again  ckttie  to  infoiin 
the  captain  of  thelt  intentidn,  and  he  appeared  td  gite 
his  consent,  fearing  lest  the  enrkged  sailors  miglit  have 
ifecourse  to  the  lot  i;i^ithout  him.  They  left  *"  ''ith  him 
to  fix  upon  any  metiiod  th&t  he  should  t^  proper, 
^e  captain,  summduing  ttll  his  strength,  wroife  upon 
small  pieces  of  paper,  the  name  of  etUm  i^an  Whd  was 
4heh  on  board  the  Iririgantine,  folded  them(  Up,  put  them 
into  a  hat,  and  shook  them  Well  t<^ether.  'The  crew, 
meanwhile,  preserved  an  awful  silence ;  eacih  eye  was 
fixed,  and  each  mouth  was  open,  while  terror  was 
s^pongly  impressed  upon  ei^ery  countensiiice.  With  a 
trembling  h rad,  one  or  them  drew,  frbm^the  hat,  the  fatal 
billet,  which  he  delivered  to  the  captain/  who  opened  it 
and  lead  akmd  the  i^ame  of  David  FxAtr:  The  unfortu- 
nate mail,  on  whom  the  lot  had  fallen,  appeared  perfectly 
resided' to  his  fiite  :-^"  My  frietidSj  (saul  he  fo  his  com- 
panions,) the  only  favor  I  request  of  )^ou,  is,  not  to  k^p 
me  long  in  pain;  dispatch  me  as  speedily  as  ycu  did 
the  negro."  Then  turning  to  the  man  who  had  per- 
Ibfmed  the  first  execution,  he  added  t-^*^  It  is  yon,  1 


.■i;^^ 


A  FAMINE  IN  THB  AMERICAN  8UIF  PEOOT. 


179 


choose  to  gii(|i  me  the  mortal  blow."     He  requested  an 

'liour  to  prepare  himsiclf  for  death,  to  which  his  com- 
rades, could  only  reply  with  tears.  Meanwhile,  compas- 
sion, and  the  remonstrances  of  the  captain,  prevailed 

'  over  the  hunger  orf  the  jnott  hard*hearteal  They  unani- 
mously resolved  to  defer  the  sacrifice  till  eleven  o'clock 
the  foUowing  morning.  Such  a  short  reprieve  aflfordcd 
very  little  consolaticm  to  FlattI 

^^The  certainty  of  dyiihg  the  next  day  made  ineli  « 
deep  impiession  upon  the  mind,  that  his  body,  v^hieh; 
for  above  a  month  j  had  withstood  the  alnoet  totid' piiva^ 
tion  of  nourishment,  sank  beneath  it  He  was  sened 
with  a  violet  fovw;  and  \m  state  was  so  mooh  ag^a- 
vated  by  a  detirinm,  With  whi<^  it  was  acoompMued, 
that  some  of  -the  sailors  pn^posed  to  kill  hkn  immedi- 
ately, in  order  to  terminate  his  sufferings.  The  majority, 
however,  adh«Md  to  tfie  resolution  which  Imd  been  tak»n, 
of  waiting  till  the  following  morning. 

^.t  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  30th  of  January, 
a  large  fire  was  already  made  to  dress  the  limbs  of  the 
unfortunate  victim,  when  a  sail  was  descried,  at  a  di»> 
tanoe.    A  favorable  wind  drove  het  towards  ^e  Pe^jgy, 

.and  die  proved  to  be  the  Susan,  returning  firomTBrguoa, 
and  bound  to  London. 

T^e  certain  could  nut  rdrain  firom  tears  td  tfaeaffeet- 
ing  account  of  the  safiSeiriDgs  endinreft  hf  tbe  iuBiiEAied 
crew.  He  loet  no  tnae  m  alfording  thorn  mlief,  nip^y- 
ing  them  ismnediately  widi  provisions  and  rising,  and 
oTOred  to  convoy  the  Peggy  to  Londim.  The  distanco^ 
f'-om  New  York,  their  prdximity  to  tibe  &igH«li  coMt, 
together  widi  the  misorftbfe  stato  of  the  Inrwantine^in- 
duoed  the  two  captains  to  oDooeed  to  Eko^Iaad.  The 
voyage  was  prosperous;  oiuy  two  mrni  died;  all  the 
others  gradually  reeovered  itieir  strength;  FUtt  htei- 
self  was  fcstored  to  perfoot  health,^^  after  having  been  so 

'  near  the  gales  of  deala. 


( 


'^  -  - 


;■>'■ 


THE  WRECKED  SEAMEN. 


'  Tn  annexed  thrilling  sketch  is  extracted  from  tb* 
■'Life  of  alitor,  by  a  Captain  in  the  British  Navy/* 
It  i^tes  to  the  exposures  cf  the  crev  of  the  Magpie, 
who  had  ti^en  to  the  boat,  after  their  shipwreck  on 
the  coaat  of  Cuba.  The  boat  was  upset, — the  stona. 
continues  :t- 

'.  "  Even  in  this  moment  of  peril,  the  discipUne  of  the 
naTy  assumed  its  command.  At  ^e  order  from  the  lieu< 
tenant  for  the  men  on  the  keel  to  relinquii^  their  position 
they  instantly  obeyed,  the  boat  was  turned  over  and 
onoa  more  the  expedienttwas  tried,  but  quite  in  vain ;  for 
no  sooner  had  the  two  men  begim  to  bale  with  a  cou- 
ple of  hats,  and  the  safety  of  the  crew  to  appear  withhi 
tlte  bounds  of  probability,  than  one  man  declared  he  saw 
tlie  fin  of  a  shark.  No  language  can  convey  an  idea  of 
tlie  panic  which  seized  the  struggling  seamen ;  a  shark 
is  at  all  times  an  object  of  horror  to  a  sailor ;  and  those 
who  have  seen  the  destructive  jaws  of  this  voracious 
fish,  and  their  immense  and  almost  incredibte  power, 
their  love  of  blood,  and  their  bold  daring  to  obtain  it, 
alone  can  form,  an  id«9a  of  the  sensations  produced  in  a 
swimmer  by  the  cry  of  "a  shark!  a  shark!"  Every 
man  now  struggled  to  obtain  a  moment's  safety.  Well 
they  kntw  that  one  drop  of  blood  would  have  been 
scented  by  tiie  everkusting  pilot-fish,  the  jackalls  of  the 
shark ;  and  that  their  destruction  was  inevitable,  if  one 
only  of  theise;  monsters  should  discover  this  rich  repast, 
or  be  led  to  its  food  by  the  little  rapid  hunter  of  its  prey. 
All  discipline  Was  now  unavailing,  ^he  boat  agaki  turned 
keel  up ;  one  man  only  gained  his  security,  to  be  pushed 
from  it  by  others,  and  thus  their  strength  began  to  fail 
from  long  continued  exertion.  However,  as  the  enemy 
so  much  dreaded  did  not  make  its  appearance,  Smith 
once  more  urged  them  to  endeavor  to  save  themselves 


i.-  ti,.-^  ^>.i.-^-r-r„  \  .(ti^^.-^^^ 


x-iiii-^ji|iiriiiipp— pp 


-■^T---'rtr.<'.TTtr^>'  Y~^,r"iTi*^n"^^i;5*". 


TBI  WBICKBD  UAMBN. 


181 


by  the  only  meani  left,  that  of  the  boat ;  bat  an  he  kneir, 
that  he  woiild  only  increase  their  alarm  by  endeavoring 
to  persuade  them  that  sharics  did  not  abound  in  these 

Earts,  he  used  the  wisest  plan  of  desiring  those  who 
eld  on  by  the  gun- wale,  to  Keep  splashmg  in  the  water 
with  their  legs  in  order  to  frighten  the  miHislers  at  ^ich 
they  were  so  alarmed.  Onee  more  had  hope  begun  to 
dawn:— the  boat  was  clear  to  her  thwarts,  and  four 
men  were  in  her,  hard  at  work ;  a  little  forbearance  and 
a  little  obedience,  and  they  were  safe.  At  this  moment, 
when  those  in  the  wator  urged  their  messmates  in  the 
boat  to  continue  baling  with  unremitted  exertion,' a  noise 
was  heard  okiee  to  them^  and  about  fifteoi  sharics  name 
right  in  amongst  them.  The  panic  was  ten  times  move 
dceadful  than  b^ore;  the  boat  was  again  upset  by  tfie 
simultaneous  endeavor  to  escape  the  danger ;  and  the 
twenty-two  sailors  were  again  devoted  to  destmetioni 
At  first,  the  sharks  did '  not  seem  inclined  to  seize  their 
prey,  but  swam  in  amongst  the  men,  playing  in  the  wa« 
ter,  sometimes  leaiung  about  and  rubmng  against  ^ir 
victims.  This  was  of  short  duration ;  a  loud  shriek  fifem 
one  of  the  txken  announced  his  sudden  pain ;  a  shark  had 
seized  him  by  the  leg,  and  severed  it  entirely  from  the 
body.  No  sooner  had  the  blood  been  tasted  Uian  the 
long  dreaded  attack  took'  place;  another  and  anothw 
shriek  proclaimed  a  loss  oi  limbs ;  som^  were  torn  front 
the  boat  to  which  they  vainly  endeavored  to  ding ;  some, 
it  was  supposed,  sank  from  fear  alone;  all  were  in 
dreadful  peril.  Mr.  Smith,  even  now,  when  of  all  horri-^ 
ble  deaths  the  most  horrible  seemed  to  await  him,  gave 
his  orders  with  clearness  and  coolness;  and  to  the  ever- 
lasting honor  of  the  poor  departed  cievf  be  it  known^ 
they  were  obeyed;  again  the  boat  was  rioted,  and 
again  two  men  were  in  her.  IncrediUe  as  it  may  ap- 
pear, still,  however,  it  is  true,  that  the  voice  of  <tilie  offivjer 
was  heard  amidst  the  danger;  and  the  survivors,  actu- 
ally as  before^  clung  to  the  gun- wale,  and  kept  the  boat 
upright.  Mr.  Smith  himself  held  to  ^e  stem,  and  cheer- 
ea  and  applauded  his  men.  The  sharks  had  tasted  the 
hkMxL  ana  wen  niit  to  be  diiwi&dm^ieir  foasti  in 


r 


'^^_\'\'$ 


EKMilgJlLB   IHIFWBBOM. 


i 

ft 

•A. 

A 


<MW  ahorC  moiiMnt,  when  Mr*  Smith  eeaied  splMhinif,  atf 
he  hoked  into  the  boat  to  weteh  the  progrew,  a  shaik 
aeiaad.botii  lege,  and  bit  them  off  jnst  above  the  knees< 
Htuna^i  nature  waa  not  atrons  enough  to  bear  the  im* 
menae  pain  without  a  groan;  but  Mr.  Smith  endeavored 
to  eonoeal  the  misfortune ;  nature,  true  to  horaelf,  resisted 
the  endewvov,  and  the  green  was  deep  and  audible. 
The  orew  had  kMig  respMted  their  gallMit  commander ; 
they  knew  his  worth  and  his  coiBrage :— km  hearing  him 
express  hia  mdc  and  seeing  him  relinquish  his  hold  to 
aiu:^  two  or  the  men  grasped  dieir  dying  officer,  and 
piaeed  him  in  the  stem  sheets.  Even  now,  in  dbnoet  in- 
aappoftable  agony,  that  gallant  follow  forgot  his  own 
snmrings,  and  thought  only  of  rescuing  the  remaining 
fow  from  the  untimely  grave  which  awaited  them ;  he 
(did  th«n  again  of  their  «nily  hope,  deplored  their  peri* 
lout  state,  and  concluded  with  these  words :  '4f  any  of 
you  smrvive  this  fatal  night,  and  return  to  Jamaica,  t^l 
the  admiml  (Sir  Lawrenoe  Halstead)  that  I  was,  in 
aesMh  of  ^  pirate  when  this  lamentable  occurrence 
took  pfaiee,  IcU  him  I  hope  I  have  always  done  my  duty, 
ikud  Hwt  !-<«-"  Here  tiie  endeavor  of  some  of  the  men 
to  get  into  the  beat  gave  her  a  heel  on  one  side ;  the  men 
who  were  supporting  poor  Smith  relinquished  him  for  a 
moment,  turn  he  rolled  overboard  and  was  drowned. 
Hia  last  bubbling  cry  was  soon  lost  amidst  the  shrieks 
of  hie  former  eompanions ;  he  lAnk  to  rise  no  more. 

At  eight  o'dodE  in  die  evening,  the  Magpie  was  up- 
set-; it  waa  oaknilatedby  the  two  survivors,  that  their 
eompantona  had  all  died  by  nine.  The  sharks  seemed 
sathned  for:  the  moment,  and  they,  with  gallant  hearts, 
resolved  to  prdfit  by  the  precious  time  in  order  to  save 
tbemselfvea;  they  righted  the  boat^  and  one  getting  over 
the  bows,  a«d  ^e  other  over  die  stem,  they  round  them- 
adlvtJB,  alliimii^  neatly  eothausled,  yet  alive,  and  in  com- 
parative aeeurity;  they  began  the  work  of  baling,  and 
soon  Kghteoedithe  boat  sufficiently  not  to  be  easify  up- 
se^jlsheik  bo^  set  doWn>  to  test.  The  return  of  the 
sfahrhswa^misigii^  for  their  retnm^  labor.  Thevora^ 
oiousiBnisieiir  enfteaveiied  to  upset  the  boat;  they  swaoi 


'■lir^,;"/ 


T'' 


•.•Kir.ir;' 


by  iti  aide  in  Memiiig  anxiety  for  their  pMjt  bM  aAer 
waiting  sometime,  they  separated :  the  two  leseaed  mm* 
men  found  thenuelyes  free  ^m  their  iasatiabk  ene* 
mies,  and,  by 'the  blessing  of  God,  saved.  Tired  ap  they* 
were,  they  continned  their  labor  until  the  boat  'w*» 
nearly  dry,  when  both  lay  down  to  rest,  the  one  IbrwaMl, 
and  the  other  aft;  so  complelely  had  inr  'operaisd  on 
their  minds,  that  they  did  not  dare  even  to  asove.  dreadi- 
mg  that  an  incautious  step  might  have  oaiwizedtiie  boat 
They  soon,  in  spite  of  the<  horrors  they  had .  Witneaeed> 
fell  into  a  sound  sleep,  and  day  had  dawned  befiose  Ihey 
awoke  to  horrible  refleotions,  and  apparently  weiee  dan- 
gers. The  siln;  nose  clear  and'  uacnudedl ;  the  eooi  Calm 
of  the  night  was  followed  by  the  soHry  calm  of  the  mom*' 
ing,  and  heat,  himger,  thirst,  and  faAigae,  seamed  to  set- 
tle on  the  unfortunate  men,  rescued  by  Providenee'ittMl 
their  own  exertions  from  the  jaws  of  a  horrible  deitth. 
They  awoke  and  looked  at  each  other ;  the  very  gaxe<of 
despair  was  appalling;  Ihr  as  the  eye  could  reach,  no 
object  could  be  discerned ;  the  bright  bass  of  the  moni^ 
ing  added  io  the  strong  refraction  of  light;  one  smodth^ 
interminable  idain,  one  endless  ocean,  <Mie  cloudlsss-sky 
and  one  bunting  sun,  were  all  they  had  to  gaae  ulpoB;; 
The  boat  lay  like  the  ark,  in  a  world  alcme  I  They  had 
no  oar,  no  mast,  no  sail,  nothing  but  the  bare  pbvaka  and 
themselres.  Without  provisions  or  water,  food  ol  aimmit 
They  lay  upon  the  calm  ocean^  hopeless,  friendlet  s,  and 
miserable.  It  Was  a  tiuMof  intense  anxiety,  their  eyee 
rested  upon  eadi  other  in  siient  pity,  not  unmixed  nn^ 
foar.  iiach  knew  the  dreadful  altematife  to  Whiehliia- 
ture  would  urge  them.  Hie  cannibal  wa0,^lnBidyy  in 
their  looks,  and  fearful  would  have  been  the  first  attaek, 
on  either  side,  for  they  were  botfi  brave  and  aloilt  bhd, 
and  equal  in  strength  and' ccmrage.  ^ 

It  now  being  about  half  past  six  in  tiie  morning)  thii 
sun  was  beginning  to  pvove  its  burning  power,  lin  asa 
was  as  smooth  as  a  looking  a^asi^  and  samog  noW  and 
then,  the  slight  eat^s  paw  of  ait,  v^eh  raffled  tiie  face 
of  the  water  for  a  fow  "j^rds,  all  waa  calii  andRhusfaadt 
Ih  "Vaiii  they  atraiiled 'tbnr  eytef  in.  vaiM  they  turiMdi 


--•*•..£.- 


I 


184 


mBMAEKAILI  •HlMrBBOn. 


ffoib  lidt  to  side  to  eseape  the  burning  myt  of  the  eun ; 
thc^  eoald  not  sleep,  for  now  anxiety  and  fear  kept  both 
▼igilant  «jd  on  their  guard;  they  dared  not  to  court 
amp,  for  that  might  have  been  the  last  of  mortal  repose^i 
Onee  they  nearly  quarrelled,  but,  fortunately,  the  better 
feelinn  of  humanity  overcame  the  bitterness  of  despair. 
The  roremest  man  had  long  oomplained  of  thirst,  and 
had  freonentiy  dipped  his  hand  into  the  water,  and  suck-i 
ed  the  fluid  ]  this  was  hastily  done,  for  all  the  horrors 
of  the  night  iare^.e  still  before  them,  and  not  unfrequently 
the  sharp  fin  of  a  shark  was  seen  not  very  £sr  from  the 
boat  In  the  midst  of  the  excruciating  torments  of  thirst, 
heightened  by  the  salt  water,  and  the  irritable  temper  of 
^e  bowman,  as  he  stamped  his  impatient  feet  against 
the  bottbm  boards,  and  tore  his  hair  with  unfeeling  in- 
diference,  he  suddenly  stopped  the  expression  of  rage 
and  ealled  out*^<<  A  sail !" 

Whilst  they  stood  watching  in  silence  the  approach 
of  the  brig,  which  slowly  made  her  way  through  the 
wat«r,  and  at  the  Very  instant  that  they  were  assuring 
eaeh  other  that  they  were  seen,  and  that  the  vessel  was 
puirposely  steered  on  the  course  she  was  keeping,  to 
reach  them,  the  whole  fabric  of  hope  was  destroyed  in  a 
second ;  the  brig  kept  away  about  three  points,  and  be- 
gan to  make  more  sail.  Then  was  it  an  awiiil  moment ; 
their  countenances  saddened  as  they  looked  at  each 
other;  for  in  vain  they  hailed,  in  vain  they  threw  their 
jackets  in  the  air;  it  was  evident  they  had  never  been 
seen,  and  that  the  brig  was  steering  her  proper  course.    ; 

The  time  was  slipping  away,  and'  if  oncie  they  got 
abaft  the  beam  of  the  brig,  every  second  would  lessen 
thirahance  of  being  seen  besides  the  sea  breeze  might 
come  down,  and  then  she  would  be  jbr  away,  and  be-  > 
yond  all  hope  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour.  Now  was  it,  that 
the  man  who  had  been  so  loudly  lamenting  his  fate, 
seemed  suddenly  mspired  with  fresh*  hope  and  courage ; 
he  looked  attentively  at  the  brig,  then  at  his  companion, 
and  said,  "  By  heaven,  I  'II  do  it,  or  we  are  lost !"  "Do 
what  1"  said  this  shipmate.  ^^Though,"  said  the  first 
man^  ^  it  is  no  (rifle  to  do,  after  what  we  have  seen  and 


I 

tl 


f'^ 


TBI  WIIOKBD  tlAMBMi., 


known ;  yet  I  will  try,  for  if  the  puaei  us.  whatonn  w# 
do  1    I  tell  you,  Jack,  I  '11  swim  to  her ;  if  I  get  safe  to 
her,  you  aresave^:  if  not,  why  I  shall  die  without  add- 
ing, perhaps  murder,  to  my  crimes."     "What!  jump 
overboard,  and  leave  me  all  alone !"  replied  his  compiH 
nion ;  "  look,  look  at  that  shark,  which  has  followed  ui 
all  night ;  why,  it  is  only  waiting  for  you  to  mt  into  the 
water  to  swallow  you,  as  it  did  perhaps  half  of  our  mess* 
mates ;  no,   no,  wait,  do  wait ;  perhaps  another  vessel 
may  come ;  besides,  I  cannot  swim  half  the  distance,  and 
I  should  be  afraid  to  remain  behind ;  think,  Tom,  onljB 
think  of  the  sharks  and  of  last  night." 
>  He  jumped  overboard  with  as  much  calmness  as  if  he 
was  bathing  in  security.  No  sooner  had  he  begun  to  strike  > 
out  in  the  direction  he  intended,  than  his  companion 
turned  towards  the  sharks.  ■  The  first  had  disappeared^ 
and  it  was  evident  they  had  heard  the  splash,  and  would 
soon  follow  their  preY'     It  is  hard  to  say,  who  suffered 
the  most  anxiety.    The  one  left  in  the  boat  cheered  his 
companion,  looked  at  the  brig,  and  kept  waving  his 
jacket,  then  turned  to  watch  the  sharks ;  his  horror  may 
be  imagined  when  he  saw  three  of  these  terrific  monsters^ 
swim  past  the  boat,  exactly^  in  the  direction  of  his  com-> " 
panion;  he  splashed  his  jacket  in  the  water  to  /  scare 
them  away,  but  they  seemed  quite  aware  of  the  impo- 
tency  of  the  attack,  and  lazily  pursued  their  course. 
The  man  swam  well  and  strongly.     There  was  no  doublr  ^, 
he  would  pass  within  hail  of  the  brig,  provided  the 
sharks  did  not  interfile,  and  he,   knowing  that  they 
would  not  be  lon^  in  following  him,  kept  kicking  in  the ! 
water  and  splashmg,  as  he  swam.     There  is  no  fish  morot^v 
cowardly,  and  yet  more  desperately  savage  than  a  shark.^ ' 
I  have  seen  one  harpooned  twice,  with  a  hook  in  hm 
jaws,  and  come  again  to  a  fresh  bait ;  yet  will  they  suffer 
themselves  to  be  scared  by  the  siiallest  noise,  and  hard- 
ly ever  take  their  prey  without  it  is  quite  still.    Gene>  , 
rally  speaking,  any  ]>lace  surrounded  by  rocks  where  the 
surf  breaks,  althougli  there  maybe  no  passage  for  a 
ship,  will  be  secure  from  sharks.    It  was  not  until  a 
great  distance  had  been  accomplished,  that  the  swimmer 
16* 


■X 


I 


iMmiBLi  tMffWlMJKs. 


i 


iH 


sppriMd  of  hto  dananr,  and  saw  hj  hHi  tidi^  <M^ 
of  tha  torrifie  oreatarei ;  •till,  however,  he  bravely  swam 
and  kiekad ;  his  mind  was  made  up  for  the  worst,  and  he 
had  little  hone  of  sueoess.  In  Ihomean  time  the  breease 
had  gradually  finsheiied,  and  the  brig  passed  with 
greater  valociff  through  the  water ;  every  stitch  of  can- 
vas was  apread.  To  the  poor  swimmer,  the  sails  seemed 
bunting  with  the  brseae,  and  as  he  used  his  utmost  en- 
deavor to  piropel  himself  so  as  to  cut  off  the  vessel,  the 
2 ray  appeared  to  dash  ftom  the  bow  and  the  brig  to  fly 
rough  the  sea.  He  was  now  close  enough  to  hope  his 
voice  might  be  heard;  buihe  hailed  and  hailed  in  vain 
not  a  soin  waa  to  be  seen  on  deck ;  the  man  who  steered 
was  too  intent  upon  his  avocation  to  listen  to  the  call  of 
morcy.  The  brig  passed;  and  the  swimmer  was  every 
seoond  getting  ftirther  in  the  distance,  every  hope  was 
gone,  not  a  ray  of  cUtft  bright  divinity  remained,  the  fa- 
ngn«  had  nearly  exhausted  him,  and  the  sharks  only 
wailed  for  the  mat  quiet  moment  to  swallow  theitr  vic- 
tim, •it  was  in  vain,  he  thought  of  returning  tbwards 
thoboat,  for  he  never  could  have  reached  her,  and  his 
companion  had  no  means  of  assisting  him.  Ih  the  act 
of  omring  up  his  last  prayer,  ere  he  made  up  his  mind 
to  float  and  oe  eaten,  he  saw  a  man  looking  over  the 
quarter  of  the  brig ;  he  raised  both  his  hands,  he.  jumped 
himself  up  in  the  water,  and  by  the  singularity  of  his 
motions,  fortunately  attracted  notice.  A  telescope  soon 
made  dear  the  object;  the  brig  was  hove  to,  a  bcMit  sent, 
and  the  man  saved^  The  attention  of  the  crew  was 
then  awakened  to  the  Magpie's  boat;  she  was  soon 
atongaide,  and  thus,  through  the  boldexertions  of  as  gal- 
lant »  Mow  as  ever  breathed,  both  were  rescued  from 
their  perilous  sitimtiont 

•i' 


m"' 


^i" 


(■■■>* 


I?*' 


^f 


-^l 


■  rr 


^W^ 


t*1I 


THE  LOflS  OV  THB  PECMIT^  f 

Oif  the  88th  of  Septemb«r;  1785,  th«  Ptonn^,  oMMMaii^' 
•d  by  cuptain  Knight,  sailed  Aom  the  harbor  of  Water- 
ibriL  Ireland,  for  the  port  of  New  York,  in  Aitterica. 

Here  it  is  necessary  to  observe,  that  the  Peggy  was  a 
large  unwieldy  Duteh-built  ship,  about  ei|^t  hundred 
tone  burden,  and  had  formerly  been  in  the  Norway  and 
timber  trade,  for  which,  indeed',  lAie  seemed',  from  her 
immense  bulk,  well  calculated.  There  being  no  freight 
in  readiness  for  America^  we  were  under  the  neeeimty 
of  taking  in  ballast :  which  conMsted  of  coarse  graTel' 
and  sand,  with  about  fifty  casks  of  stores,  fresh  stock, 
and  vegetables^  sufficient  to  last  during  the  voyage; 
having  plenty  of  room,  and  having  been  most  abun- 
dantly supplied  by  the  hospitable  nei^borhood,  of  which 
we  were  about  to*  take  our  leave. 

We  weighed  anchor,  and  with  the  assistanee  of  a  rapid 
tide  and  pleasant  breeze,  soon  gained  a  tolerable  offing: 
w^  continued  under  easy  sail  the  remainiiif  part  of  the^ 
day,  and  towards  sunset,  lost  sight  of  land/ 

September  29th,  made  the  old  head  of  Kingsale ;  the 
weather  continued  favorable,  we  shortly  came  within 
sight  of  cape  Clear,  from  whence  we  took  our  departure^ 
from  the  coast  of  Ireland. 

Nothing  material  occurred  for  seveml  days,  dnring 
which  time  we  traversed  a  vast  space  of  the  Weetem- 
ocean.  ' 

October  12th,  the  weather  now  became  hasy  a»# 
squally ;  all  hands  turned  up  to  reef  top-sails,  and  strike 
top-gallant^yards.  Towards  night,  the  squalls  were 
more  frequent,  indicating  an  approaching  gale;^ — we  ac- 
cordingly clued,  reefed  top-sails,  and  struck  top-eallant- 
masts ;  and  having  made  all  snug  ak>ft,  the  ship  wea-: 
thered  the  night  vevy  steadily. 
IiQb  the*  13th,  tfaectew  wereempldyed  in  setl^g  xxp  iSti^ 


■ji->- 


^^ 


188 


RBMARKABLB    SHIPWRECKS. 


rigging,  and  occasionally  pumping,  the  ship  haviiig 
made  much  water,  during  the  night.  The  gale  increas- 
ing as  the  day  advanced,  occasioned  the  vessel  to  make 
heavy  rolls,  by  which  an  accident  happened,  which  was 
near  doing  much  injury  to  the  captain's  cabin.  A  pun- 
cheon of  rum,  which  was  lashed  on  the  larboard  side  of 
the  cabin,  broke  loose,  a  sudden  jerk  having  drawn 
asunder  the  elects  to  which  it  was  fastened.  By  its  ve- 
locity, it  stove  in  the  state-rooms,  arid  broke  several  uten- 
sils of  the  cabin  furniture.  The  writer  of  this,  with 
much  difficulty,  escaped  with  whole  limbs :  but  not  al- 
together unhurt^  receiving  a  painful  bruise  on  the  right 
foot :  having,  however,  escaped  from  the  cabin,  the  peo- 

Ele  on  deck  were  given  to  understand  that  the  rum  was 
roken  loose.  The  word  rum  soon  attracted  the  sailors' 
attention,  and  this  cask  being  the  ship's  only  stock,  they 
were  not  tardy  (ast  may  be  supposed)  in  rendering  their 
assistance  to  double  lash,  what  they  anticipated — the 
delight  of  frequently  splicing  the  mainbrace  therewith, 
during  their  voyage. 

On  the  14th,  the  weather  became  mdderate,  and  the 
crew  were  employed  in  making  good  the  stowage  of  the 
stores  in  the  hold,  which  had  given  way  during  the 
night ;  shaking  reefs  out  of  the  top-sails,  getting  up  the 
top-gallant  masts  and  yards,  and  rigging  out  studding- 
sails.  All  hands  being  now  called  to  dinner,  a  bustle 
and  confused  noise  took  place  on  deck.  The  captain 
(who  was  below)  sent  the  writer  of  this,  to  discover  the 
cause  thereof,  but  before  he  could  explain,  a  voice  was 
crying  out  in  a  most  piteous  ancT  vociferous  tone.  The 
captain  and  chief  mate  jumped  on  deck,  and  found  the 
crew  had  got  the  cook  laid  on  the  windlass,  and  were 
giving  him  a  most  severe  cobbing  with  a  flat  piece  of  his 
own  firewood.  As  soon  as  the  captain  had  reached  for- 
ward, he  was  much  exasperated  with  them  for  their  pre- 
cipitate conduct,  in  punishing  without  his  knowleclge 
and  permission ;  and  having  prohibited  such  proceedings 
in  future  cases,  he  inquired  the  cause  of  their  grievance. 
The  cook,  it  seems,  having  been  serving  out  fresh  watef> 
to  dress  vegetables  for  all  Jnands,  had  inadvertently  used 


sal 
mi 
ili^ 

m^ 

t 


t  I 


THB  LOSS  OF  THB  PKMT. 


m 


p  having 
e  increas- 
1  to  make 
hich  was 
A  pun- 
d  side  of 
?  drawn 
^y  its  ve- 
ra! uten- 
lis,  with 
It  not  al- 
the  right 
the  peo- 
um  was 
)  sailors' 
Bk,  they 
ng  their 
ed— -the 
Jrewithj 

itnd  the 
I  of  the 
ng  the 
up  the 
idding- 
bustle 
captain 
^er  the 
e  was 
The 
nd  the 
I  were 
of  his 
id  for- 
rpre- 
ledge 
dings 


It  for  some  other  purpose,  and  boiled  the  greens  in  a  cop- 
per of  salt  water,  which  rendered  them  so  intolerably 
tdugh,  that  they  were  not  fit  for  use ;  consequently  the 
sailors  had  not  their  expected  garnish,  and  a  general 
munnur  taking  place,  the  above  punishment  was  in- 
flicted. 

A  steady  breeze  ensued,  all  sails  filled  and  the  ship 
made  way,  with  a  lofty  and  majestic  air  *  and  at  every 
plunge  of  her  bows,  which  were  truly  Dutch-built,  rose  a 
foam  of  no  small  appearance. 

During  four  days,  the  weather  continued  favorable, 
which  flattered  the  seamen  with  a  speedy  sight  of  land. 

On  the  19th,  we  encountered  a  very  violent  gale,  with 
an  unusual  heavy  sea; — the  ship  worked  greatly,  and 
took  in  much  water  through  her  seams ;  the  pumps  were 
kept  Irequently  going.  At  mid-day,  while  the  crew 
were  at  dinner,  a  tremendous  sea  struck  the  ship  right 
aft,  which  stove  in  the  cabin  windows,  upset  the  whole 
of  the  dinner^  and  nearly  drowned  the  captain,  mate,  and 
myself,  who  was  at  that  time  holding  a  dish  on  the  ta- 
ble, while  the  captain  was  busily  emplo3red  in  carving  a 
fine  goose,  which,  much  to  our  discomfiture,  was  en- 
tirely drenched  by  the  salt-water.  Some  of  the  coop& 
were  washed  from  the  quarter-deck,  and  several  of  the 
poultry  destroyed.        -^  sa,  v  ;.*;;>*«:;*  i;;«y)>.^.w  iJ^Mi 

In  consequence  of  the  y^^i^^rs  shipping  lb  greifti a  qu^tl- 
lity  of  water,  the  pumps  were  doubly  manned,  and  soon 
gained  on  her.  The  gale  had  not  in  the  least  abated 
during  the  night.  The  well  was  plumbed,  and  there 
was  found  to  be  a  sudden  and  alarming  increase  of  wa- 
ter. The  carpenter  was  immediately  ordered  to  exa- 
mine the" ship  below,  in  order  to  find  the  cause  of  the 
vessel's  making  so  much  water.  His  report  was,  she 
being  a  very  old  vessel,  her  seams  had  considerably  open- 
ed by  her  laboring  so  much  ;  therefore,  could  devise  no 
mean^,  at  present,  to  prevent  the  evil.  He  also  reported 
the  mizzen-mast  to  be  in  great  danger.  tMm^nwfmr^  ^--mi. 

The  heel  of  the  mizzen-mast  being  stepped  between'' 
decks,  (a  very  unusual  case,  but  probably  it  was  placed 
there  in  order  to  make  more  room  for  stowage  in  the 


^'  M 


# 


m 


W|gA«IUSLB  aWfWHWW' 


;\ 


jUfi^-hold,)  was  likely  to  work  from  its  step,  aod  thereby 
mwht  do  considerable  damage  to  the  ship. 

The  captain  now  held  a  consultation  with  the  officers, 
when  it  was  deemed  expedient  to  cut  the  mast  away, 
without  delay :  this  was  accordingly  piU  into  execution 
the  following  morning,  as  soon  as  the  day  made  its  ap- 
pearance. The  necessary  pc^rations  having  been 
made,  the  cai*penter  began  hewing  at  the  mast,  and 
quickly  made  a  deep  wound.  Some  of  the  crew  were 
stationed  ready  to  cut  away  the  stays  «uad  lanyards, 
whils.t  tlie  remaining  part  were  anxiously  watching  the 
momentary  crash  which  was  to  ensue ;  the  word  being 
given  to  cut  away  the  weather-lanyards,  as  the  ship 
gave  a  lee-lurch,  the  whole  of  the  wreck  of  the  mast 
plunged,  without  further  injury,  into  the  ocean* 

The  weather  stiU  threatening  a  continuance,  our  prin- 
cipal employ  was  lat  the  pumps,  which  were  kept  con- 
tinually going.  The  sea  had  now  risen  to  an  alarming 
height,  and  frequently  struck  the  vessel  with  great  vio- 
lence. Towards  the  afternoon,  part  of  the  starboard 
bulwark  was  carried  away  by  the  shock  of  a  heavy  sea, 
which  made  the  ship  broachto,  and  before  she  could 
answer  her  helm  again,  a  sea  broke  through  the  fore- 
chains,  and  swept  away  the  caboose  and  all  its  utensils 
from  the  deck :  fortunately  for  the  cook,  he  was  assist-^ 
ing  at  the  pumps  at  the  time,  or  he  inevitably  must 
have  shared  the  same  fate  as  his  galley.  >^  ^^,       , 

Notwithstanding  the  exertions  of  the  crew,  me  water 
gained  fast,  and  made  its  way  into  the  hold,  which 
washed  a  great  quantity  of  the  ballast  through  the 
timber^ioles  into  the  hull,  by  which  the  suckers  of  the 
pumps  were  much  damaged,  and  they  thereby  fcequentlv 
choiced.  By  such  delays  the  leaks  increased  rapidly. 
We  were  under  the  necessity  of  repeatedly  hoisting  the 
pumps  on  deck,  to  apply  diS&reat  means  which  were 
devised  to  keep  the  sand  from  entering,  but  all  our  ef- 
forts proved  ineffectual,  and  the  pumps  were  deemed  of 
no  further  utility.  There  was  now  no  time  to  be  lost ; 
accordingly  it  was  agreed  that  the  allowance  of  fresh 
water  should  be  lesatned  to  a  pint  a  man;  the  casks 


'y%^^ 


^BEhoaa  OF  THM  PEoay. 


^^^r 


d  thereby 

e  officers, 
i8t  away, 
executioa 
de  its  ap- 
ing been 
last,  and 
rew  were 
lanyards, 
:hlng  the 
>rd  being 
the  ship 
the  mast 

aur  prin- 
cept  con- 
Uarming 
'reat  vio- 
tarboard 
avy  sea, 
e  could 
\he  fore- 
utensils 
s  assist^ 
iy  must 

water 

which 
igh  the 

of  the 
^uentlv 
apidly. 
ing  the 
were 
our  ef- 
ned  of 
lost; 
f  fresh 

casks 


.were  immediately  hoisted  from  the  hold,  and  lashed  be- 
tween decks.  As  the  water  was  started  from  two  of 
them,  they  were  sawed  in  two,  and  formed  into  buckets, 
there  being  no  other  casks  on  board  fit  for  that  purpose; 
the  whips  were  soon  applied,  and  the  hands  began  bal- 
ing at  the  fore  and  alter  hatchways,  which  continued 
without  intermission  the  whole  of  the  night,  each  man 
being  suffered  to  take  one  hour's  rest,  in  rotation. 

The  morning  of  the  22d,  presented  to  our  view  a  most' 
dreary  aspect, — a  dismal  horizon  encircling— not  tjse 
least  appearance  of  the  gale  abating — on  the  coutrftr^  it 
seemed  to  come  with  redoubled  vigor — tlie  ballaf^t  wash- 
ing from  side  to  side  of  the  ship  at  each  roll,  and  scarce 
a  prospect  of  freeing  her.  Notwithstanding  these  ca- 
lamities, the  crew  did  not  relax  their  efforts.  The  maiu- 
hatchway  was  opened,  and  fresh  buckets  went  to  work ; 
the  captain  and  mate  alternately  relieving  each  other  at 
the  helm.  The  writer's  biation  was  to  supply  the  crew 
with  grog,  which  was  plentifully  served  to  them  every 
two  hours.  By  the  motion  of  ihe.ship,  the  buckets  struck 
against  the  combings  of  the  hatchways  with  great  vio- 
lence, aud  in  castipg  them  into  the  hold  to  fill,  they  fre- 
quently struck  on  the  floating  pieces  of  timber  which 
were  generally  used  as  chocks  in  stowing  the  hold.  By 
such  accidents,  the  buckets  were  repeatedly  stove,  and 
we  were  ^nder  the  necessity  of  cutting  more  of  the  wa- 
ter casks  to  supply  their  place.  Starting  the  fresh  water 
overboard  was  reluctantly  done,  particularly  as  we  now 
felt  the  loss  of  the  caboose,  and  were  under  the  necessity 
of  eating  the  meat  raw,  which  occasioned  us  to  be  very 
thirsty.  Night  coming  on,  the  crew  were  iiot  allowed 
to  go  below  to  sleep ;  each  man,  when  it  came  to  his 
turn,  stretched  himself  on  the  deck. 

October  33.  Notwithstanding  the  great  quantity  of 
water  baled  from  the  vessel,  she  gained  so  considerably, 
that  she  had  visibly  settled  much  deeper  in  the  water. 
All  hands  were  now  called  aft,  in  order  to  consult  on  the 
best  measures.  It  was  now  unanimously  resolved  to 
make  for  the  island  of  Bermuda,  it  being  the  nearest 
land.    Accordingly  w^  |)ore  .ft\y^  fgf^  it,  but  ha4  not 


riW 


tds 


UHABKABLB  SHIPWRECKS. 


'•:  * 


sailed^  many  leagues  before  we  found  that  the  great 
quantity  of  water  in  the  vessel  had  impeded  her  steer- 
age so  much  that  she  could  scarcely  answer  her  helm ; 
and  making  a  very  heavy  lurch,  the  ballast  shifted, 
wliich  gave  her  a  great  lift  to  the  starboard,  and  render- 
ed it  very  difficult  to  keep  a  firm  footing  on  deck.  The 
anchors  which  were  stowed  on  the  larboard  bow  were 
ordered  to  be  cut  away,  and  the  cables,  which  were  on 
the  orlop  deck,  to  be  hove  overboard  in  order  to  right  her ; 
but  all  this  had  a  very  trifling  effect,  for  the  ship  was 
nolstbecome  quite  a  log. 

The  tfrew  were  still  employed  in  bailing ;  one  df  whom, 
in  preventing  a  bucket  from  being  stove  against  the 
comoingS;  let  go  his  hold,  and  fell  down  the  hatchway : 
with  great  difficulty  he  escaped  being  drowned  or  dash- 
ed against  the  ship's  sides.  Having  got  into  a  bucket 
which  was  instantly  lowered,  he  was  providentially 
hoisted  on  deck  without  any  injury. 

During  the  night,  the  weather  became  more  moderate, 
and  on  the  following  morning,  (October  25,)  the  gale 
had  entirely  subsided,  but  left  a  very  heavy  swell.  Two 
large  whales  approached  close  to  the  ship.  They  sport- 
ed around  the  vessel  the  whole  of  the  day,  and  after 
dusk,  disappeared. 

Having  now  no  further  use  of  the  helm,  it  was  lashed 
down,  and  the  captain  and  mate  took  their  spell  at  the 
buckets.  My  assistance  having  been  also  required,  a 
boy  of  less  strength,  whose  previous  business  was  to  at- 
tend the  cook,  now  took  my  former  station  of  serving 
the  crew  with  refreshments.  This  lad  had  not  long 
filled  his  new  situation  of  drawing  out  rum  from  the 
cask,  before  he  was  tempted  to  taste  it,  which  hav- 
ing repeatedly  done,  he  soon  became  intoxicated,  and 
was  missed  on  deck  for  some  time.  I  was  sent  to  look 
for  him.  The  spigot  I  perceived  out  of  the  cask,  and 
the  liquor  running  about,  but  the  boy  I  could  not  sec  for 
some  time;  however  looking  down  the  lazeretto,  (the 
trap-door  of  which  was  Iving  open,)  I  found  him  fast 
asleep.  He  had  luckily  fallen  on  some  sails  which  werq 
stored  there,  or  he  must  Have  perished.      ^   ''*^      ** '" 


ler  steer- 
er  helm ; 

shifted, 
d  render- 
5k.  The 
low  were 

were  on 
ight  her ; 
ship  was 

)f  whom, 
Eiinst  tha 
tchway : 
or  dash- 
a  bucket 
dentially 

aoderate, 
the  gale 
11.  Two 
By  sport- 
ind  after 

IS  lashed 

11  at  the 

Hired,  a 

as  to  at- 

serving 

lot  long 

rom  the 

;h  hav- 

ed,  and 

to  look 

sk,  and 

sec  for 

o,  (the 

lim  fast 

chwere 


1 


LOM  OF  TBI  PICWT. 


198 


On  the  2&th  and  27th  of  October,  the  weather  con* 
tinned  quite  clear,  with  light  baffling  winds.  A  mail 
was  constantly  kept  aloft  to  look  out  for  &  sail.  The 
rest  of  the  crew  were  employed  at  the  whips. 

On  the  28th,  the  weather  began  to  lower,  and  appeared 
inclined  for  rain.  This  gave  some  uneasiness,  being  ap- 
prehensive of  a  gale.  The  captain  therefore  directed  the 
carpenter  to  overhaul  the  long-boat,  caulk  her,  and  raiso 
a  streak,  which  orders  were  immediately  complied  with ; 
but  when  he  went  to  his  locker  for  oakum,  ne  found  it 
plundered  of  nearly  the  whole  of  his  stock-  — aU  hands 
were  therefore  set  to  picking,  by  which  means  he  was 
soon  supplied. 

It  was  totally  clear  on  the  29th.  with  a  fresh  breeze, 
but  the  ship  heeled  so  much  that  tier  gunwale  at  times 
was  under  water,  and  the  crew  could  scarcely  stand  on 
deck.  All  hands  were  now  ordered  to  assemble  aft, 
when  the  captain  in  a  short  address,  pointed  out  the 
most  probable  manner  by  which  they  could  be  saved. 
All  agreed  in  opinion  with  him,  and  it  was  resolved  that 
the  long-boat  should  be  hoisted  out  as  speedily  as  possi- 
ble, and  such  necessaries  as  could  be  conveniently  stow- 
ed, to  be  placed  in  her.  Detennined  no  longer  to  labor 
at  the  buckets,  the  vessel,  whieh  could  not  remain  above 
water  many  hours  after  we  had  ceased  bailing,  was  now 
abandoned  to  her  fate. 

I  now  began  to  reflect  on  the  small  chance  we  had  of 
being  saved — twenty-two  people  in  an  open  boat — up- 
wards of  three  hundred  miles  from  the  land,  in  a  bois- 
terous climate,  and  the  whole  crew  worn  out  with  fa- 
tigue !  The  palms  of  the  crew's  hands  were  already  so 
flayed  it  could  not  be  expected  that  they  could  do  much 
execution  with  the  oars ;  while  thus  reflecting  on  our 
perilous  situation,  one  of  our  oldest  seamen,  who  at  this 
moment  was  standing  near  me,  turned  his  head  aside  to 
wipe  away  a  tear ;  I  could  not  refrain  from  sympathiz- 
ing with  him,  my  heart  was  already  full ;  the  captain 
perceiving  my  despondency  bade  me  be  of  good  cheer, 
and  called  me  a  young  lubber. 

The  boat  having  been  hoisted ^t,  and  such  necessar 


M 


mm 


nm  vlaised  hi  her  as  were  deemed  reoniatte,  one  of  the 
hands  was  sent  aloft  to  lasdi  the  colors  downwards  to  the 
main-toponast  shrouds ;  which  having  done,  he  placed 
himself  on  the  crosstrees,  to  look  around  him,  and  al- 
most instantly  hallooed  out, — "A  sail."  It  would  be 
impossible  to  deseribe  tlH  ecstatic  emotions  of  the  crew : 
every  man  was  aloft,  in  order  to  be  satisfied ;  though  a 
niauts  befera,  nol  one^  of  the  crew>  was  able  to  s^mdi 
upright.  '  ■  fi 

The  sail  was  on  our  weather-bow,  bearing  right  down 
on  us  with  a  smart  breeze.  She  soon  perceived  us,  but 
hauled  her  wind  several  times,  in  order  to  examine  our 
ship.  As  she  approached  nearer  she  clearly  perceived 
our  calamitous  situation,  and  hastened  teF^our  relief. 

She  proved  to  be  a  Philadel^ia  schocHier,  bound  to  capo 
Francois,  in  St  Domingo.  The  caf^n  took  us  all  on 
board  in  the  most  hiimahe  and  frieiully  manner,  and  af- 
ter casting  our  boat  adrift,  proceeded  on  his  voyage. 
When  we  perceived  our  ship  from  the  vessel  on  which 
we  were  now  happily  on  Jtoard,  her  appearance  was 
truly  deploraUe.  \' 

'The  captain  of  the  schooner  congratulated  us  on.  our 
f(»tunate  escape,  and  eaiqpressed  his  surprise  that  the 
ship  should  remain  so  Icing  on  her  beam  ends,  in  such  a 
heavy  se%  widioitt  capsizing.  We  soon  began  to  dis- 
tance the  wreck,  by  this  time  very  low  in  the  water,  and 
shortly  after  lost  s^^  .of  her,  ■...  ■,  l 

The  evening  began  to  approach  fast,  when  a  man 
loosing  the  main-'topHsail,  dieaccied  a  sail  directly  in  the 
same  course  <ak  our  quarten  We  made  sail  for  her,  and 
soon  came  within  hail  of  her.  She  pcoved  to  be  a  brig 
from  Glasgow,  bound  to  Antigua.  It  was  now  deter- 
mined, between  the  captains,  that  half  of  our  people 
should  remain  in  the  schooner,  aad  the  captain^  mate, 
eight  of  the  creW)  aAdmyself^  should  get  on  board  the 
brig.  On  our  arrival  at  Antigua  we  met  with  much 
kirwlniiBi  Mid't»i*"»«»Mt/i» 


VW- 


,.,;J.-, 


>ple 
ate, 
the 


f^: 


h  ts 


"^     #i  ' 


.J* 


W- 


^p 


in 


I 


.«a;»S«  .V-j.^t^-    >jMft-/JifR>,M')5» 


mi 


.#•  -^ 


'^W- 


liOSS  OF  THE  HALSEWELL  EAST  INDIAMAN. 

Thb  Halsewell  East  Indiaman.  of  seven  hundred  and 
lifty-eiehttons  burthen,  Richard  Pierce,  Esq.  commander, 
having  Doen  taken  up  by  the  Directors  to  make  her  third 
voyage  to  coast  and  bay,  fell  down  to  Gravesend  the 
16th  of  November,  1785,  and  there  completed  4ier  lad- 
ing. Having  taken  the  ladies  and  other  passengers  on 
board  at  the  Hope,  she  sailed  through  the  Downs  on 
Sunday,  January  the  1st,  1786,  and  the  next  morning, 
being  abreast  of  Dunnose,  it  fell  calm..     "^  '  '^^'''  ^^■ 

The  ship  was  one  of  the  finest  in  the  service,  and  sup- 
posed to  be  in  the  most  perfect  condition  for  her  voyage ; 
and  the  commander  a  man  of  distingnished  ability  and 
exemplary  character.  His  officers  possessed  unques- 
tionable knowledge  in  their  profession ;  the  crew,  com- 
posed of  the  best  seamen  that  could  be  collected,  was  as 
numerous  as  the  establishmeQt  admits.  The  vessel  like- 
wise contained  a  considerable'%)dy  of  soldiers,  destined 
to  recruit  the  forces  of  the  company  in  Asia.        ,^  \ 

The  passengers  were  Miss  Eliza  Pierce,  atld  Vl^ik 
Mary  Anne  Pierce,  daughters  of  the  commander ;  Miss 
Amy  Paul,  and  Miss  Mary  Paul,  daughters  of  Mr.  Paul, 
of  Somersetshire,  and  relations  of  captain  Pierce ;  Miss 
Elizabeth  Blackburne,  daughter  of  cajUtain  B.  likewise 
in  the  service  of  the  East  nidia  company :  Miss  Mary 
Haggard,  sister  to  an  officer  on  the  Madras  estabWsh- 
ment ;  Miss  Ann  Mansell,  a  native  of  Madras,  but  of 
European  parents,  who  had  received  her  educatidn  in 
England ;  and  John  George  Schutz,  Esq.  retumine  to 
Asia,  where  he'  had  long  resided,  to  collect  a  VBai  of  his 
fortune  which  he  had  left  behind.    ;,'  ;   ''.'^■^r 

On  Monday,  the  2d  of  January,  at  three  P.  M.  a 
breeze  s^iringing  up  from  the  south,  they  ran  in  shore  to 
land  the  pilot.  The  weather  coming  on  very  thick  in 
the  evening,  and  the  wind  bafflinfi^  at  nine  they  were 
obliged  to  anchor  in  eighteen  tdmoma  water.    They 


*.'^; 


^^' 


196 


RBMARIABLB   CHIPWRVCKS. 


furled  their  top-sails,  but  were  unable  to  furl  their  courses 
the  snow  falling  thick  and  freezing  as  it  fell. 

Tuesday,  the  3d,  at  four  o'clock  A.  M.  a  violent  gale 
CA^le  on  i)rom  E.  N.  E.  and  the  ship  driving,  they  weie 
obliged  to  cut  their  cables  and  run  out  to  sea.  At  noon, 
they  spoke  with  a  brig  to  Dublin,,  and  having  put  their 
pilot  on  board  of  her,  bore  down  channel  immediatiBly. 
At  eight  in  the  evening,  the  wind  freshening,  and  coming 
to  the  southward,  they  reefed  such  sails  as  were  judged 
necessary.  At  ten,  it  blew  a  violent  gale  at  south,  and 
they  were  obliged  to  carry  a  press  of  sail  to  keep  the 
ship  off  the  shore.  In  this  situation,  the  hause-plu^s, 
which,  according  to  a  recent  improvement,  were  put  m- 
side,  were  washed  in,  and  the  hause-bags  washed  away, 
in  consequence  of  which  they  shipped  a  great  quantity 
of  water  on  the  gunndeck. 

Upop  sounding  the  well,  they  found  that  the  vessel 
had  sprung  a  leak,  and  had  five  feet  of  water  in  her 
hold ;  they  clued  up  the  main  top-sail,  hauled  up  the 
main-sail,  and  immediately  attempted  to  furl  both,  but 
failed  in  the  attempt.  All  the  pumps  were  set  to  work^ 
on  the  discovery  of  the  Ipk. 

Wednesday  the  4th,  at  two  A.  M.  they  endeavored  to 
wear  the  ship,  but  without  success.  The  mizzen-mast 
was  instantly  cut  away,  and  a  second  attempt  made  to 
wear,  which  succeeded  no  better  than  the  former.  The 
ship  having  now  seven  feet  of  water  in  her  hold,  and  the 
l^ak  gaining  fkst  on  the  pumps,  it  was  thought  expedi- 
ent for  the  prei^Tvation  of  the  ship,  which  appeared  to 
be  in  inunediate  danger  of  foundering,  to  cut  away  the 
main-mast  In  its  fall,  Jonathan  Moreton,  coxswain, 
and  four  men,  were  carried  overboard  by  the  wreck  and 
drowned.  By  eight  o'clock,  the  wreck  was  cleared,  and 
the  ship  got  before  the  wind.  In  this  position  she  was 
kept  about  two  hours,  during  which  the  pumps  reduced 
the  water  in  the  hold  two  feet. 

At  ten  in  the  morning  the  wind  abated  considerably, 
and  the  ship  labored  extremely,  rolled  the  fore  top-mast 
over  on  the  larboard.  side|  which,  in  the  fall,  tore  the  fore- 
sail, to  pieces.    At  el||i|n)  the  wind  came  to  the  west- 


i 


"Up 


rf^^i'L.vt 


f  OM  or  tHB  BAMIWBU.  MUrS  OfDUMAN. 


ivr 


rain, 

and 

and 

was 

luced 

ibly, 
last 
lore- 
rest- 


ward,  and  the  weather  clearing  up,  the  Berrv^Head  wai 
distinguished,  at  the  distance  of  four  or  five  leagues. 
Having  erected  a  jury  main-mast,  and  set  a  top-gallant- 
sail  for  a  main-sail,  they  bore  up  for  Portsmouth,  and 
employed  the  remainder  of  the  day  in  getting  up  a  jury 
mizzen-mast. 

On  Thursday  the  5th,  at  two  in  the  morning,  the  wind 
came  to  the  southward,  blew  fresh,  and  the  weather 
was  very  thick.  At  noon,  Portland  was  seen,  bearing 
north  by  east,  distant  about  two  or  three  leagues.  At 
eight  at  night,  it  blew  a  strong  gale  at  south ;  the  Port- 
land lights  were  seen  bearing  north-west,  distant  four  or 
five  leauges,  when  they  wore  ship  and  got  her  head  to 
the  westward.  Finding  they  lost  ground  on  that  tack, 
they  wore  her  again,  and  kept  stretching  to  the  eastwaid, 
in  the  hope  of  weathering  Feverel  Point,  in  which  case 
they  intended  to  have  anchored  in  Studland  bay.  At 
eleven,  they  saw  St.  Alban's  Head,  a  mile  and  a  half  to 
the  leeward,  upon  which  they  took  in  sail  immediately^ 
and  let  go  the  small  bower  anchor,  which  brought  up 
the  ship  at  a  whole  cable,  and  she  rode  for  about  an  hour, 
and  then  drove.  They  now  let  go  the  sheet  anchor,  and 
wore  away  a  whole  cable ;  the  ship  rode  about  two  hours 
longer  when  she  drove  again. 

In  this  situation  the  captain  sent  for  Mr.  Henry  Meri- 
ton,  the  chief  officer,  and  asked  his  opinion  concerning 
thC'  probability  of  saving  their  lives.  He  replied  with 
equal  candor  and  calmness,  that  he  apprehended  there 
was  very  little  hope,  as  they  were  then  driving  fast  on 
shore,  and  might  expect  every  moment  to  strike.  It 
was  agreed  that  the  boats  could  not  then  be  of  any  use, 
but  it  was  proposed  that  the  officers  should  be  confiden- 
tially requested,  in  case  an  opportunity  presented  itself, 
of  making  it  serviceable,  to  reserve  the  long  boat  for  the 
ladies  and  themselves,  and  this  precaution  was  accoid- 
ingly  taken. 

About  two,  in  the  morning  of  Friday  the  6th,  the  ship 
still  driving,  and  approaching  the  shore  very  fast,  tho 
same  officer  again  went  into  the  cuddy  where  the  cap- 
tain then  was.    Captain  Pierce  expressed  extreme  anxi-^ 
17* 


•  ^ 


Mtuk'.   mfAi¥>«»  leiFimt'CT.  -^(-'f 


•ty  (or  di«  mewnratton  of  his  beloved  daughters,  und 
•Mmestly  mslced  Mr.  Meriton,  if  he  could  devise  any 
means  oif  saving  them.  The  latter  expressed  his  fears 
that  it  would  be  impossible,  adding,  that  their  onlv 
chanoe  would  be  to  wait  for  the  morning,  upon  which 
the  captain  lifted  up  his  hands  in  silent  distress. 

At  this  moment  the  ship  struck  with  such  violence,  as 
to  dash  the  heads  of  those  who  were  standing  in  the 
cuddy  against  the  deck  above  them,  and  the  fatal  blow 
was  accompanied  by  a  shriek  of  horror,  which  burst  v.X 
the  same  instant  from  every  quarter  of  the  ship.       ii'-it^ 

The  seamen,  many  of  whom  had  been  remarkably  in- 
attentive and  remiss  in  their  duty  during  a  great  part  of 
the  storm,  and  had  actually  skulked  into  their  hammocks, 
liATing  the  working  of  the  pump,  and  the  other  labors 
required  by  their  slttiation,  to  the  officers,  roused  to  a 
sense  of  their  danger,  now  poured  upon  the  deck,  to 
which  the  utmost  endeavors  of  their  officers  could  not 
keep  them  while  their  assistance  might  have  been  use- 
ful. But  it  was  now  Vv,  late ;  tho  ship  continued  to 
beat  upon  the  rocks,  avd  soon  oilged,  falling  with  her 
broadside  towards  tliv  shure.  When  the  ship  struck, 
several  of  the  men  caught  hold  of  the  ensign  staff,  under 
the  apprehension  of  her  going  to  pieces  immediately.     <»> 

At  this  critical  juncture,  Mr.  Meriton  offered  his  un- 
happy companions  the  best  advice  that  possibly  could 
be  given.  He  recommended  that  they  should  all  repair 
to  that  side  of  the  ship  which  lay  lowest  on  the  rocks, 
and  take  the  opportunities  that  might  then  present  them- 
selves of  escaping  singly  to  the  shore.  F  ^hrjv  rotum- 
ed  to  the  round-house,  "here  all  the  pc<%. /  ■'■■^  and 
most  of  the  officers  were  assembled.  ?  'v?  'P.»te:  were 
em[rioyed  in  affording  consolation  to  tne  unfortunate 
ladies,  and  with  unparalleled  magnanimity,  suffering 
tbsir  compassion  for  the  amiable  companions  of  their  own 
d<.  *ger,  and  the  dread  of  almost  inevitable  destruction. 
At  t  f  :3ioment  what  must  have  been  the  feelings  of  a 
iiith.5.  -of  inch  a  father  as  captain  Pierce  7 

Tiio  ship  had  Htinck  on  the  rocks  near  Seacombe,  on 
tho  isiiicd  of  Pui-beck,  between  Peverel-poiitt  and  St 


♦t 


a 


LOflB  OP  THE  iUI^eiWIU.  lAiT  UIDIAMAN.  Ml 

Alba^'t  Head.  On  this  part  of  the  ahore  the  clUT  if  of 
inuatnse  height,  'and  rise's  almoet  perpeu^iiculariy.  In 
tliui  particular  spot  the  cliff  is  excavated  at  the  baae. 
presentinff  a  cavern  ten  or  twelve  yards  in  depth,  and 
naual  in  breadth  to  the  length  of  a  large  thip.  The  aidei 
of  the  cavern  are  ao  nearly  upri^t  aa  to  be  extremelv 
difficult  of  access,  and  the  b<Htom  of  it  is  strewed  with 
sharp  and  uneven  rocks  which  appear  to  have  been  rent 
froin  above  bv  some  convulsion  of  nature.  It  was  at 
the  mouth  of  this  cavern  that  the  unfortunate  vessel  lay 
stretched  almost  from  side  to  side,  and  presented  her 
broadside  to  the  horrid  chasm.  But,  at  the  time  the 
ship  struck  it  was  toaflark  to  discover  the  extent  of  their 
danser,  and  the  extreme  horror  of  their  situa  ion. 

llie  number  in  the  round-house  was  now  increased    . 
to  nearly  fifty,  by  the  admission  of  three  black  womea 
and  two  soldier's  wives,  with  the  husband  ol'  one  of  the 
'atter,  though  the  sailors,  who  had  demanded  entrano^        , 
to  get  a  light,  had  been  opposed  and  kept  out  by  the 
officers.     Captain  Pierce  was  seated  on  a  chair,  oi  some       Cf 
other  movable,  between  his  two  daughters,  whom  ha  ^J7' 
pressed  alternately  to  his  affectionate  bosom.    The  rest  *r 
of  the  melancholy  assembly  were  seated  on  the  deck, 
which  was  strewed  with  musical  instruments,  aud  the 
wreck  of  furniture,,  boxes,  and  packages. 

Here  Mr.  Meriton,  after  havmg  lighted  several  wax 
candles,  and  all  the  glass  lanthoms  he  could  find,  like- 
wise took  his^seat,  intending  to  wait  till  daylight,  in  the 
hope  that  it  would  afford  him  an  opportunity  of  effec  ting 
his  own  escape,  and  also  rendering  assistance  to  the 
partners  of  his  danger.  But,  observing  that  the  lac  let 
appeared  parched  and  exhausted,  he  fetched  a  basket  of 
oranges  from  some  part  of  the  round-house,  with  which, 
he  prevailed  on  some  of  them  to  refresh  themselves. 

On  his  return  he  perceived  a  considerable  alteration 
in  the  appearance  of  the  ship.  The  sides  were  visibly 
giving  way,  the  deck  seemed  to  heave,  and  he  discovered 
other  evident  symptoms  that  she  could  no|  hold  together  ■ ., 
much  longer.  Attempting  to  go  forward  to  look  out,  he 
mstautly  perceivad  that  the  ship  had  aepairated  itt  th»; 


'•'0^- 


•^'.-.yfi,.. 


■;a4 


000 


ttMABKABLfi  SHIPWRECKS. 


T^-rKl 


"S. 


middle  and  that  the  fore-part  had  changed  its  poo^on, 
and  lay  rather  farther  out  towards  'the  sea.  IfPthis 
emergency  he  determined  to  seize  the  present  moment, 
as  the  next  mi^t  have  been  charged  with  his  fate,  and 
to  kXiovr  the  example  of  the  crew  and  the  soldiers,  who' 
were  leaving  the  ship  in  nmbbers,  andnnaking  their  way 
to  a  shore,  with  the  horrors  of  which  they  were  yet  nn- 
aequainted. 

'»  To  favor  their  escape  an  attempt  had  been  made  to 
lay  the  ensign-staff  from  the  ship's  side  to  the  rocks,  but 
without  success,  for  it  snapped  to  pieces  before  it  reached 
them.  By  the  light  of  a  lantho;ni,  however,  Mr.  Meri- 
ton  discovered  a  spar,  which  wppeneA  to  be  laid  from 
the  ship's  side  to  the  rocks,  and  upon  which  he  deter- 
mined to  attempt  his  escape.  He  accordingly  lay  down 
upon  it,  and  thrust  liimself  forward,  but  soon  found  that 
the  spar  had  no  communication  with  the  rock.  He 
reached  the  end  and  then  slipped  off,  receiving  a  vio- 
lent contusion  in  his  fall.  Before  he  could  recover  his 
legs,  he  was  washed  off  by  the  surge,  in  which  he 
supported  himself  by  swimming  till  the  returning  wave 
da^ed  him  against  the  back  of  the  cavern.  Here  he 
lay  hold  of  a  small  projection  of  the  rock,  but  was  so  be- 
numbed that  he  ^as  on  the  point  of  quitting  it,  w^en  a 
seaman,  who  had  already  gained  a  footmg,  extended  his 
hand  and  assisted  him  till  he  could  secure  himself  on  a 
little  shelf  of  the  rock,  from  which  he  clambered  still 
higher  till  he  was  out  of  the  reach  of  the  surf 

Mr.  Rogers,  the  third  mate,  remained  with  the  captain 
and  the  ladies  nearly  twenty  minutes  after  Mr.  Meriton 
had  left  the  ship.  The  latter  had  not  long  quitted  the 
round  house,  before  the  captain  inquired  what  was  be- 
come of  him,  and  Mr.  Rogers  replied,  that  he  had  gone 
upon  deck  to  see  what  could  be  done.  A  heavy  sea 
soon  afterwards  broke  over  the  ship,  upon  which  the 
ladies  expressed  great  concern  at  the  apprehension  of  his 
toss.  Mr.  Rogers  proposed  to  go  and  call  him,  but  this 
they  opposed,  fearful  lest  he  might  share  the  same  fate. 

The  sea  now  broke  in  at  the  fore  part  of  the  ship,  and 
reached  as  far  as  the  main-mast.    Captain  Pierce  and 


,.,  So„'/,>i':..,j.,.. 


•jp-r 


LOSS  OF  TBI  HALSEWBLL  lAST  INDIAMAN. 


aai 


Mr.  Eogera  then  went  together,  with  a  lamp,  to  the  st^ 
gallery,  where,  aftcir  viewing  the  rocks,  the  captain  ask- 
ed Mr.  Rogers  if  he  thought  there  was  any  possibility 
of  daviug  ^e  girls.  He  replied,  he  feared  not;  for  they 
could  discover  nothing  but  the  black  surface  of  the  per- 
pendicular rock,  and  not  the  cavern  which  afioirded  shel- 
ter to  those  who  had  escaped,  Thiey  then  retumed  to 
the  round  house,  where  captain  Pierce  again  seated  him- 
self between  his  two  daughters,  struggling  to  suppress 
theparental  tear  which  then  started  into  his  eve. 

To«  sea  continuing  to  break  in  very  fast,  Mr.  Rogers, 
Mr  Schutz,  and  Mr.  M'Manus,  a  midshipman,  with  a 
view  to  attempt  their  escape,  made  their  way  to  the 
poop.  They  had  scarcely  reached  it,  when  a  heavy  sea 
breaking  over  the  wreck,  the  round  house  gave  "^y, 
And  they  heard  the  ladies  shriek  at  intervals,  as  if  the 
water  h  i  reached  them ;  the  noise  of  the  sea  at  other 
times  d..ciwned  their  voices.  -  m 

Mr.  Brimer  had  followed  Mr.  Rogers  to  the  poop, 
where,  on  the  coming  of  the  fatal  sea,  they  jointly  seiz< 
ed  a  hen-coop,  and  the  same  wave  which  whelmed 
those  who  remained  below  in  destruction,  carried  him 
and  his  companion  to  the  rock,  on  which  they  were 
dashed  with  great  violence,  and  miserably  Inruised. 

On  this  rock  ^re  twenty-seven  men ;  but  it  was  low 
water,  and  bein^onvinced  that,  upon  the  flowing  of  the 
tide,  they  must  all  be  washed  off,  many  endeavored  to 
get  to  the  back  or  sides  of  the  cavern  beyond  &e  reach 
of  the  returning  sea.  Excepting  Mr.  Rogers  and  Mr. 
Brimer,  scarcely  more  than  six  succeeded  in  this  attempt. 
Of  the  remainder,  some  experienced  the  fate  they  sought 
to  avoid,  others  perished  in  endeiEivoring  to  get  into  the 
cavern. 

Mr.  Rogers  and  Mr.  Brimer,  however,  having  reached 
the  cavern,  climbed  up  the  rock,  on  the  narrow  shelves 
of  which  they  fixed  themselves.  The  former  got  so 
near  to  his  friend,  Mr.  Meriton,  aB  to  exchange  congratu- 
lations with  him ;  but  between  these  gentlemen,  there 
were  about  twenty  men,  none  of  whom  could  stir 
but  at  the  most  imminent  hazard  of  his  life.     When 


MKUrimmMMfumM  aBawvinovsac  mr> 


Mr*  Wii||iiii  fBidied  fliis  station,  his  strength  vis  so 
niudf  «i||KUitad,  that  had  the  straggle  continued  a  fem 
pinulea  kpn^K  he  must  inevitably  have  perished. 
V  They  soon  found  that  thoueh  many  who  had  reached 
the  rocks  below,  had  perished  in  attempting  to  ascend, 
yet  that  a  consi<^erable  number  of  the  crew,  seamen,  sol' 
diers,  and  some  of  the  inferior  officers,  were  in  the  same 
situaticHi  with  themseltres.  What  that  situation  was, 
they  had  still  to  learn.  They  had  escaped  immediate 
death ;  but  they  were  yet  to  encounter  a  thousand  hard- 
ships for  the  precarkras  chance  of  escape.  Some  part  of 
the  ship  was  still  discernible,  and  they  chisered  them- 
selves in  this  dreary  situation,  wi^  the  hope  that  it 
would  hold  together  till  day  break.  Amidst  their  own 
misfortunes,  the  sufierings  of  the  females  filled  their  minds 
with  the  acutest  singuish ;  every  returning  sea  increased 
their  apprehensions  for  the  safety  of  their  amiable  and 
helpless  companions. 

But,  alas  f  too  soon  were  these  apprehensions  realisned. 
A  few  minutes  after  Mr.  Rogers  had  gained  the  rock, 
a  general  shriek,  in  which  the  voice  of  female  distress 
was  lamentably  distinguishable,  announced  the  dreadful 
catastrophe!  In  a  few  moments,  all  was  hushed,  ex- 
cepting the  warring  winds  and  the  dashing  waves.  The 
wreck  was  whelmed  in  the  bosom  of  ^e  deep,  and  not 
an  atom  of  it  was  ever  discovered.  Tlins  perished  the 
Halsewell,  and  with  her,  worth,  honor,  skill,  beauty, 
and  accomplishments ! 

This  stroke  was  a  dreadful  aggravation  of  wo  to  the 
trembling  and  scai^ely  half-saved  wretches,  who  were 
clinging  about  the  sides  of  the  horrid  cavern.  They  felt 
for  themselves,  but  they  wept  for  wives,  parents,  fathers, 
brothers,  sisters, — perhaps  lovers ! — all.  cut  off  from  their 
deari»t,  fondest  hopes  I  i1    ni  Jl  if? 

Their  feelings  were  not  less  agonized  by  the  subse- 
quent events  of  that  ill-fSeited  night.  Many  who  had 
gained  the  precarious  stations  on  the  rocks,  exhausted 
with  fatigue,  weakened  by  bruises,  and  benumbed  with 
oold,  quitted  tlMir  hold,  and  falling  headlong,  either  upon 
the  rocks  briow,  or  into  the  surf,  perishea  beneath  Ihe 


./ 


LOSS   OF   THB  HAL8BWBLL  BAfT  Iin>IAMAN. 

feet  of  their  wretbhed  aiidcii^tes,  aisd  B^  their  d 
groans  and  loud  acclaiuations,  airalcened  terrific  a 
hensions  of  a  similar  fate  in  the  survirors. 

At  length,  after  three  hoars  6f  the  keeniMtt  ttiisery^,  t}te 
day  broke  on  them,  but,  far  from  bring;ing  with  it  the 
expected  relief,  it  served  otdf  to  discover  to  them  all  the 
horrors  of  their  situation.  They  were  convinced^  that 
had  the  country  been  alarmed  by  the  guns  of  distress, 
which  they  continued  to  fire  several  hours  before  the 
ship  struck,  but,  which,  from  the  violence  i>f  the  storm, 
were  unheard,  they  could  neither  be  observed  by  thii 
people  above,  as  they  were  completely  iogulphed  m  th^ 
cavern,  and  overhung  by  the  cliff;  nor  wai^  any  part  of 
the  wreck  remaining  to  indicate  their  probable  inace  of 
refuge.  Below,  no  boat  could  live  tc  search^  them  olt|^ 
and  had  it  been  possible  to  acquaint  those  who  were' 
willing  to  assist  them,  with* their  exact  situation,  Uiey 
were  at  a  loss  to  conceive  how  any  ropes  could  be  cdn- 
veyed  into  the  cavern  to  facilitate  their  escape. 

The  only  method,  that  afforded  any  prosp^t  of  suc- 
cess, was  to  creep  along  the  side  to  its  outer  extremity, 
to  turn  the  comer  on  a  ledge  scarcely  as  broad  as  a  mati*S 
hand,  and  to  climb  up  the  almost  perpehdicular  pi^ecipi^ 
ces,  nearly  two  hundred  feet  in  height.  In  this  despe- 
rate attempt,  sope  succeeded,  while  others,  ttemblmg 
with  terror,  and  exhausted  with  bodily  and  mental  fa- 
tigue, lost  their  precarious  footing,  and  perished. 

The  first  men  who  gained  the  summit  of  the  cliff  Were 
the  cook,  and  James  Thompson,  a  quarter-master.  iSy 
their  individual  exertions  they  reached  the  top,  and  in- 
stantly hastened  to  the  nearest  house,  to  mase  known 
the  situation  of  their  fellow-sufferers.  Eastington,  the 
habitation  of  Mr.  Garland,  steward,  or  agent,  to  the  pro- 
prietors of  the  Purbeck  quarries,  was  the  nougat  Which 
they  first  arrived.  That  ^ntleman  immediately  assem'> 
bled  the  workmen  under  his  direction,  and  with  the  most 
zealous  humanity  exerted  every  effort  for  the  preserva- 
tion of  the  surviving  part  of  the  crew  of  the  unfortunatei 
ship. 
Mr.  Meriton  had,  by  thid  time,  almost  reached  tht* 


904 


-«*!*;■ 


BBDMl^KABLB  8HIPWEBCK8.  ,o   m>'^ 


edge  of  the  precipice.    A  soldier,  who  preceded  him, 
fitexkl  upon  a  small  projecting  rock,  or  stone,  and  upon 
the  S«ime  stone  Mr.  Meriton    had  fastened  his  bands  to. 
assist  his  progress.    Just  at  this  moment  the  quarrymen 
arrived,  ^nd  seeing  a  man  so  nearly  within  their  reach 
they  dropped  a  rope,  of  which  he  immediately  laid  hold. 
By  a  vigorous  effort  to  avail  himself  of  the  advantage, : 
he  lopsened  the  stone,  which  giving  wBy,  Mr.  Meriton 
must  have  been  precipitated  to  the  bottom,  had  not  a 
rope  been  lowered  to  him  at  the  instant,  which  he  sei2sed,  ^ 
wnUe  in  the  act  of  falling,  and  was  safely  drawn  to  the 
sumnut.  • 

The  fate  of  Mn  Brimer  was  peculiarly  severe.    He  - 
had  been  married  only  nine  days  before  the  ship  sailed,: 
to  the  daughter  of  Captain  Norman,  of  the  Royal  Navy,x 
catne  on  shore,  as  it  has  been  observed,  with  Mr.  Rogers,; 
and,  like  him,  got:  itp  the  side  of  the  cavern.    Here  he 
remained  till  the  morning,  when  he  crawled  out ;  a  rope 
was  thrown  him,  but  he  was  either  so  benumbed  with, 
the  cold  as  to  fasten  it  about  him  improperly,  or  so  agi- 
tated as  to  neglect  to  fasten  it  at  all.     W  hatever  was  Ui» « 
cause,  the  effect  proved  fatal ;  at4he  moment  of  his  sup^i 
posed  preservation  he  fell  from  his  stand,  and  was  unfor' ' 
tunaiUtiy  dashed  to  pieces,  in  si^t  of  those  who  could 
only  lament  the  deplorable  fate  of  an  apdable  man  and , 
skimil  officer.  / 

The  method  of  affording  help  was  remarkable,  and  { 
does  h<mor  to  the  humanity  and  intrepidity  of  the  quar- 
rymen/ The  distance  from  the  top  of  the  rock- to  th^* 
cavern,  over  which  it  projected,  was  at  least  one  hundret^ } 
feet :  ten  of  these  formed  a  declivity  to  the  edge,  and  tho^ 
remainder  was  perpendicular.  On  the  very  brink  of  thisll 
precipice  stood  two  daring  fellows,  with  a  rope  tied  round  | 
them,  and  fastened  above  to  a  strong  iron  bar  fixed  into  ^ 
the  ground.  Behind  these,  in  like  manner,  stood  others,  ;> 
two  and  two.  A  strong  rope,  likewise  properly  secured,  | 
passed  between  them,  by  which  they  might  hold,  and.:^ 
support  themselTes  from  falling.  Another  rope,  with  anl 
noose  ready  fix6d,  was  then  let  down  below  the  cavern,  | 
and  the  wind  blowing  hard,  it  was  sometimes  forced 


-•^TJIP- 


L08S  OF  fn  HALSBWELL    BA8t  HfiMAMAV. 


205 


under  the  projecting  rock,  so  that  the  snffeiers  could 
reach  it  without  crawling  to  the  ed^.  Whoever  laid 
hold  of  it,  put  the  noose  round  his  waist,  and  was  drawn 
up  with  the  utmost  care  and  caution  by  their  intrepid 
deliverers. 

'^"^^tn  this  attempt,  however,  many  shared  the  fate  of  thd 
unfortunate  Mr.  Brimer.  Unable,  through  cold,  pei^tut^ 
bution  of  mind,  weakness,  or  the  inconvenience  of  the 
stations  they  occupied,  to  avail  thelnselves  of  the  succor 
that  was  offered  them,  they  were  precipitated  from  the 
stupendous  cliff,  and  either  dashed  to  pieces  on  the  rocks, 
or  falling  into  the  surge,  perished  in  the  waves. 

Among  these  unha^y  sufferers,  the  death  of  a  drum- 
mer was  attended  with  circumstances  of  peculiar  dis- 
tress. Being  either  washed  off  the  rocks  by  the  sea,  or 
falling  into  the  surf,  he  was  carried  by  the  returning 
waves  beyond  the  breakers.  His  utmost  efforts  to  regain 
them  were  ineffectual,  he  was  drawn  further  out  to  sea, 
and  being'  a  remarkably  good  swunmer,  continu^  to 
struggle  with  the  waves,  in  the  view  of  his  commiserat-  ' 
ing  companions,  till  his  strength  was  exhausted,  and  he 
sank, — to  rise  no  more ! 

;lt  was  late  in  the  day  when  all  the  survivors  were 
carried  to  a  place  of  safety,  excepting  William  Trenton^^  - 
a  soldier,  who  remained  on  his  perilous  stand  till  the 
morning  of  Saturday,  the  7th,  exposed  to  the  united  hor-.    . 
rors  of  extreme  personal  danger,  and  the  most  acute,  ^ 
disquietude  of  mind. 

The  surviving  officers,  seamen,  and  soldiers,  being, 
assembled  at  the  house  of  their  benevolent  deliverer,. 
Mr.  Garland,  they  were  mustered,  and  found  to  amount, 
to  74,  out  of  more  than  240,  which  was  nearly  the  num^, 
ber  of  the  crew  and  passengers  whenxshe  sailed  through 
the  Downs.  Of  the  rest,  it  is  supposed  that  fifty  or  more 
sank  with  the  Captain  and  the  ladies  in  the  roundhouse, 
and  that  upwards  of  seventy  reached  the  rocks,  but 
were  washed  off,  or  perished  in  falling  from  the  cliffs. 
All  those  who  reached  the  summit  survived,  excepting 
two  or  threM|.  who  expired  while  being  drawn  up,  and 
a  black  wha  died  a  few  hours  after  he  was  brought  to 
18 


Mi 


* 


2U6 


*rf.    RKMABKABLB  SHIPWRECKf. 


the  house.  Many,  however,  were  so  miserably  bruised^ 
that  their  lives  were  doubtful,  and  it  was  a  considerablet 
time  before  they  perfectly  recovered  their  strength. 

Tlie  benevolence  and  generosity  of  the  master  of  the 
Crown  Inn,  at  Blanford,  deserves  the  highest  praise. 
When  the  distressed  seamen  arrived  at  that  town  he 
sent  f<Hr  them  all  to  his  house,  and  hfivipg  given  them  the 
rel^shment  of  a  comfortable  dinner,  he  presented  eacfa^ 
man  with  half  a  croi;^  to  help  him  on  his  journey,   i  ^^^^ 


■'%4!i  |>»iiti;|»t'»'<W 


fv  LOSS  OP  THE  NOTTINGHAM  GALLEY,     . 

^*^  OF  LONDON. 

■•■/.  ■         < 

The  Nottingham  bailey,  of  and  from  London,  of  120^ 
tons,  ten  guns,  fourteen  men,  John  Dean,  commander, 
having  taken  in  cordaige  iii  England,  and  butter,  cheese, 
6lc.  in  Ireland,  sailed  for  Ho8t<Mi  in  New-England,  the 
25th  of  September,  1710.  Meeting  with  contrary  winds 
and  bad  weather,  it  was  the  beginning  of  December,  when 
we  first  made  land  to  the  eastward  of  Pisdataqua,  and 

Sroceeding  southward  for  the  bay  of  Massachusetts,  un- 
er  a  hard  gale  of  wind  at  northeast,  accompanied  with 
rain,  hail  and  snow ;  having  no  observation  for  ten  or 
.^  twelve  days,  w6,  on  the  11th,  handed  all  our  sails,  ex- 
ceptittg  our  fore-sail  and  maintop  sail  double  reefed,  or- 
dering one  hand  forward  to  look  out.  Between  eight  and 
nine  o'clock,  going  forward  myself,  I  saw  the  breakers 
ahead,  whereupon  t  called  out  to  put  the  helm  hard  to 
starboatd,  but  before  the  ship  could  wear,  we  struck  upon 
the  east  end  of  the  rock,  called  Boon  Island,  four  leagues^ 
to  the  Eastward  of  Piscataqua. 

The  second  or  third  sea  heaved  the  ship  alongside  of 
it ;  running  likewise  so  very  high,  and  the  ship  laboring 
so  excessively,  that  we  were  not  able  to  stand  upon  deck ; 
and  though  it  was  not  distant  above  thirty  or  forty  yards, 
yet  the  weather  was  so  thick  and  dark,  that  we  could  not 
see  the  roclq  ^  that  we  were  justly  thTon  into  con- 

■■"■'     ■'   ■  ■  "ry  i  ,1  %.'  ^  '  '■  .   -.  i        '''yf :  •  '  ~  *■•*'■..)'■    ^     ■■  (  ■.  ""■      *  ■  » »■  "^^  ."    ■"  ;", '.  '  ■       '.,»     *l 


.;.u^.jUl^ur'  ^.L.^_&' -t 


7Si. 


1 


LOSS  OP  THB  MOTTOfOHAM  OALLIT,  OF  LONDON. 


2«r 


'K 


stemation^at  the  melancholy  prospect  of  immeidately, 
perishinff  In  the  sea.  I  presently  called  all  hands  down 
to  theHsaoin,  where  we  continued  a  few  minntes,  earnestly 
supplicating  the  meroy  of  heaven:  but  knowing  that 
prayers,  alone,  are  vain,  I  ordered  all  up  again  to  cut 
the  masts  by  the  board,  but  several  were  so  (^pressed  by 
the  terrors  of  conscience  that  they  were  inci^ble  of  any 
exertion.  We,  however  went  upon  deck,  cut  the  wea- 
thermost  shrouds,  and  the  ship  heeling  toward  the  rocks, 
the  force  of  the  sea  soon  broke  the  masts,  so  that  they 
fell  towards  the  shore. 

One  of  the  men  went  out  on  the  bowsprit,  and  return- 
ing, told  me  he  saw  something  black  ahead,  and  would 
venture  to  go  on  shore,  accompanied  witfi  any  other  jpr- 
son :  upon  which  I  desired  some  of  the  best  swimmers 
(my  mate  and  one  more)  to  so  with  him,  and  if  they 
gained  the  rock,  to  give  notice  by  their  calls,  and  direct 
us  to  the  most  secure  place.  Recollecting  some  money 
and  papers  that  might  be  of  use,  also  ammunition,  bran- 
dy, ScC'i  I  then  went  down  and  opened  the  place  in  which 
they  were ;  but  the  ship  bilging,  her  decks  opened,  hei 
back  broke,  and  her  beams  gave  way,  so  that  the  stem 
sank  under  water.  I  therefore  hasteneicl  forward  to  es- 
cape instant  death,  and  having  heard  nothing  of  the  men 
who  had  gone  before,  concluded  that  they  were  lost 
Notwithstanding,.!  was  under  the  necessity  of  making 
the  same  adventure  upon  the  foremast,  moving  gradu- 
ally forward  betwixt  every  sea,  till  at  last  quitting  it.  I 
threw  myself  with  all  the  strength  I  had,  toward  the 
rock ;  but  it  being  low  water,  and  the  rock  extremely 
slippery,  I  could  got  no  hold,  and  tore  my  fingers^,hands, 
and  arms,  in  the  most  deplorable  manner,  every  sea 
fetching  me  off  again,  so  uiat  it  was  with  the  utmost 
peril  and  difficulty  that  I  got  safe  on  shore  at  last.  The 
rest  of  the  men  ran  the  same  hazards,  but  through  the 

<^  mercy  of  Providence  we  all  escaped  with  our  lives. 

*     After  endeavoring  to  discharge  th^  salt  wate^r  and, 
creeping  a  little  way  up  the  rock,  I  heard  the  voices  of 
the  three  n^  abpve  mentioned,  and  by  ten  p'olock.  xire. 
jail  met  togemer,  when,'  with  grateful  hearts,  weieturhed 


-■,Yi.>;, 


.Y.Ci 


•niABKABLB   SHIPWKBOCB. 


t    fo  *-,'.o  r 


thanks  to  Proyidence  for  our  deliverance  froniifiich  ini- 
ihihent  danger.  We  then  endeavored  to  gain  shelter  to 
tile  leeward  of  the  rock,  but  fouhd  it  so  small  and  ihcon- 
sidetable,  that  it  would  afford  none,  (being  about  one 
hundred  yards  long  and  fifty  broad,)  and  so  very  craggy 
that  we  coittd  not  walk  to  keep  ourselves  warm,  the 
weather  still  continuing  extremely  cold,  witii  snow  and 
rain.^ 

As  soon  as  day  light  appeared  I  went  toward  the  place 
where  We  came  on  shore,  not  doubting  but  that  we 
should  n^eet  with  provisions  enough  from  the  wreck  for 
our  support,  but  found  onl^  some  pieces  of  the  masts 
yards  among  some  old  junk  and  cables  heaped  to- 
|r.  whidh  the  anchors  had  prevented  from  being 
carrrea  away,  and  kept  moving  about  the  rock  at  some 
distance.  Part  of  the  ship's  stores  with  some  pieces  of 
plank  and  timber,  old  sails,  canvas,  &c.  drove  on  shore, 
but  nothing  cp.tablo,  excepting  three  small  cheeses  which 
we  picked  up  among  the  tbck-weed. 

We  used  our  utmost  endeavors  to  set  fir*,  having  a  steel 
and  flint  with  us,  and  also  by  a  drill,  with  a  very  swift 
motion;  but  having  nothing  which  had  not  been  water- ^ 
soaked,  all  our  attempts  proved  inefiiBctual.  ^^ 

At  night  we  stowed  ourselves  under  our  canvas,  in  the  * 
best  manner  possible,  to  keep  each  other  warm.  The 
next  day  the  weather  clearing  a  little;  and  inclining  to  a 
frost,  I  went  0tit,  and  perceiving  the  main  land,  I  knew 
where  we  were,  and  encouraged  my  men  with  the  hope 
of  being  discovered  by  fishing  shaltops,  desiring  them  to 
search  for  and  bring  up  any  planks,  carpenter's  tools, 
and  stores  they  could  find,  in  order  to  build  a  tent  and  a 
boat.  The  cook  then  complained  that  he  was  almost 
steirved,  and  his  countenance  discovering  his  illness,  I 
ordered  him  to  remain  behind  with  two  or  three  more 
the  frost  had  seized.  About  noon  the  men  acquainted 
me  that  he  was  dead;  we  therefore  laid  him  in  a  conve- 
nient place  for  the  Sea  to  carry  him  away.  None  men- 
Vtioned  eating  him,  though  several,  with  myself,  after 
wards  acknowledged  that  they  thought  of  itM    "  :"'  -^^ 


4k 


LOSS  OP  TBI  NOrrmOHAM  GALLKT,  OP  LONDON.    S69 

After  "tt^  had  been  in  this  situation  two  or  three  days^ 
tile  fVost  being  very  severe,  and  the  weather  extremely 
cold,  it  affected  most  of  our  hands  and  feet  to  such  a 
degree  sis  to  take  away  the  sense  of  feeling,  and  render 
them  almost  useless ;  so  benumbing  and  discoloring  them 
as  gave  us  just  reason  to  apprehend  mortification.  We 
pulled  off  our  shoes,  and  cut  off  our  boots ;  but  in  getting 
off  our  stockings,  many,  whose  legs  were  blistered,  pulled 
off  skin  and  all,  and  some,  the  nails  of  their  toes.  We 
then  wrapped  up  our  legs  and  feet  as  warmly  as  we  pould 
in  oakum  and  canvas.  ,    *'   '»!^. 

'?  Now  we  began  to  build  our  tent  in  a  triangular  form, 
each  side  being  about  eight  feet,  covered  it  with  the^il 
sails  and  canvas  that  came  on  shore,  having  just  ^mn 
for  each  to  lie  down  on  one  side,  so  that  none  could 
turn,  unless  s^ll  turned,  which  was  about  every  two 
hours,  when  notice  was  given.  We  also  fixed  a  staff  to 
the  top  of  OUT  tent,  upon  which,  as  often  as  the  tvf^ther 
would  permit,  we  hoisted  a  piece  of  cloth  in  the  form  of 
a  flag,  in  order  to  discover  ourselves  to  any  vessel  that 
might  approach. 

We  then  commenced  the  building  of  our  boat  with 
planks  and  timber  belonging  to  the  wreck.  Our  only 
tools  were  the  blade  of  a  cutlass,  made  into  a  saw  with 
our  knives,  a  hammer,  and  a  caulking  mallei.  We  found 
some  nails  in  the  clefts  of  the  rock,  and  obtained  others 
from  the  sheathing.  We  laid  three  planks  flat  for  the 
bottom,  and  two  up  each  side,  fixed  to  stanchions  and 
let  into  the  bottom  titiibers,  with  two  short  pieces  at  each 
end,  and  one  breadth  of  new  Holland  duck  round  «l!he 
sides  to  keep  out  the  spray  of  the  sea.  We  caulked  all 
we  could  with  oakum  drawn  from  the  old  junk,  and  in 
other  places  filled  up  the  spaces  with  long  pieces  of 
canvas,  all  of  which  we  secured  in  the  best  manner  pos- 
sible. We  found  also  some  sheet  lead  and  pump-leather, 
which  proved  of  use.  We  fixed  a  short  mast  and  square 
sail,  with  seven  paddles  to  row,  and  a  longer  One  to 
steer  with.  But  our  carpenter,  whose  services  were  no\ar 
most  wanted^,  was,  on  account  of  illness,  scarcc%capa- 
ble  of  affording  us  either  assisuince  or  advice ;  Ibd  til 
,      •       18*  „  > 


* 


i?;,:Si„!5\^;'w  'U-jiiJ 


^'■:im:i 


i 


810 


<ntoi    BIMABKABLB  SIUPWBICK8.     ^    « 


n    «><o  ? 


the  iMt  excepting  myself  and  two  others,  were  so  be- 
numbed and  feeble  as  to  be  unable  to  move.    The  wea^ 
ther,  too,  was  so  extremely  cold,  that   we  could  seldom 
stav  out  of  tlie  teqt  more  than  four  hours  in  the  day 
and  some  days  we  could  do  nothing  at  all. 

When  we  tiad  been  upon  the  rock  about  a  week,  with- 
out any  kind  o£  provisions,  excepting  the  cheese  above- 
mentioned,  and  some  beef  bones,  which  we  eat,  aftei 
beating  them  to  pieces,  we  saw  three  boats,  about  five 
leagues  from  us,  which,  as  msy  easily  be  imagined,  re** 
joiced  us  not  a  little,  believing  that  the  period  of  our 
deliverance  had  arrived.  I  directed  all  the  men  to  creep 
(^lof  the  tent  and  halloo  together,  as  loud  as  their, 
sd^igth  would  permit.  We  likewise  made  all  the  sig- 
nals we  could,  piU  in  vain,  for  they  neither  heard  nor 
saw  us.  We,  however,  received  no  small  encouragement 
from  the  sight  of  them,  as  they  came  from  the  south- 
west ;  jmd  the  wind  being  at  north-east  when  we  were 
cast  away,  we  hfid  reason  to  sup^'^se  that  our  distress 
might  have  been  made  known  by  vhe  wreck  driving  on 
shore,  and  to  presume  that  they  had  come  out  in  search 
of  us,  and  would  daily  do  so  when  the  weather  should 
permit.  Thus  we  flattered  ourselves  with  the  pleasing 
out  delusive  hope  of  deliverance.  ^i  .,1  v  r  ,i Xm? 

Just  before  we  had  finished  our  boat,  the  carpenter's 
axe  was  cast  upon  the  rock,  by  which  we  were  enabled  to 
complete  our'  work,  but  then  we  had  scarcely  strecigt^ 
sufficient  to  get  her  into  the  water.  .,  V^;  „;.,,,.,  < 

About  the  21st  of  December,  the  boat  being  fihislieay 
the  day  fine,  and  the  water  smoother  than  1  had  yet 
'Seen  it  since  we  came  there,  we  consulted  who  should 
attempt  to  launch  her;  I  ofiered  myself  as  one  to  venture 
in  her ;  this  was  agreed  to,  as  I  was  the  strongest,  and 
therefore  the  fittest  to  undergo  the  extremities  to  which 
we  might  possibly  be  reduced.  My  mate  also  offered 
himseli;  ana  desiring  to  accompany  me,  1  was  permitted 
to  take  him,  together  virith  my  brother  and  four  more 
Thus  commendmg  our  enterprize  to  Providence,  all  thai 
were  aide  came  out,  and  with  much  difficulty,  got  our 
>r  JBitcbjed-iup  ^a.t  Jj)  the  wat^«side.    The  surf  ruij 


%^ 


'%, 


LOSS  OF  TBI  NOTTOieBAM  OALUY,  OT  LONDON. 


tit 


oingTery  high,  we  were  obliged  to  wade  rtrf  deep  to 
launch  her,  upoa  which  I  and  another  got  into  her.  Tbm 
swell  of  the  sea  heaved  her  along  the  aliore  and  overset 
upon  us,  whereby  we  again  narrowly  eecaped  drowning. 
Our  poor  boat  was  staved  to  pieces,  our  enterprias  totally 
disappointed,  and  our  hopes  utterly  destroyed. 

..What  heightened  our  afflictions,  and  served  to  aggra- 
vate our  miserable  prospects,  and  render  our  deliverance 
less  practicable,  we  lost,  with  our  boat,  both  our  axe 
and  hanuner,  which  would  have  been  of  great  use  to  ns 
if  we  should  afterwards  have  attempted  to  construct  a 
raft.  Yet  we  had  reason  to  admire  the  goodness  of  God 
in  producing  our  disappointment  for  our  safety ;  for,  tlydt 
aftemocm,  the  wind  springing  up,  it  blew,  so  hard,  ivb- 
much  that,  had  we  been  at  sea  in  that  imitation  of  a 
boat,  we  must,  in  all  probability,  have  perished,  and 
those  left  behind,  being  unable  to  help  themselves,  must 
doubtless  soon  have  shared  a  similar  fate. 

We  were  now  reduced  to  the  9iost  melancholy  and 
deplorable  situation  imaginable ;  almost  every  man  but 
myself  was  weak  lo  an  extremity,  nearly  starved  with 
hunger  and  perishing  with  cold ;  their  hands  find  feet 
frozen  and  mortified ;  large  and  deep  ulcers  in  their  legs ; 
the  smell  of  which  was  highly  offensive  to  those  who 
could  not  creep  into  the  air,,  and  nothing  to  dress  them 
with  but  a  piece  of  linen  that  was  cast  on  shore.  We 
had  no  fire :  our  small  stock  of  cheese  was  exhausted^ 
and  we  had  nothing  to  support  our  feeble  bodies  but 
rock-weed  and  a  few  muscles,  scarce  and  difficult  to  be 
procured,  at  most  not  above  two  or  three  for  each  man  . 
a  day ;  so  that  our  miserable  bodies  were  perishing,  and 
our  disconsolate  spirits  overpowered  by  the  deplorablo 
prospect  of  starving,  without  any  appearance  of  relief. 
To  aggravate  our  situation,  if  possible,  we  had  reason  to 
apprehend,  lest  |t^e  approaching  springtida  if  accompani* 
ed  with  high  winds,  shouid  entirely  oversow  us.  The 
horrors  of  such  a  situation  it  is  impossible  to  describe ; 
the  pinching  cold  and  hunger ;  extremity  of  weakness 
and  pain ;  racking  and  horrors  of  conscience  in  many  f 
and  the  prospect  of  a  certain,  painful,  and  lingeriaff  ^ 


■S- 


*    •■ 


■JP-.. 


»,*'5v.  . 


lis 


.^.tHi<^*    BnUBKABLB  ■HIPWIBOKS. 


'to  i4')X 


t  death,  without  eren  the  most  remote  views  of  dehre- 
«  mice  I  This  is,  indeed,  the  height  of  misery ;  yet  such 
«.  aUs  I  WM  our  deplorable  .^ase :  insomuch  that  the 
greater  part  of  our  company  were  ready  to  die  of  horror 
*  mod  despair. 

For  my  part,  I  did  my  utmost  to  encourage  myself, 
.  exhoit  the  rest  to  trust  in  Grod,  and  patiently  await  their 
deUverance.  As  a  slight  alleviation  of  our  fate,  Provi- 
dence directed  towards  our  quarters  a  sea-gull,  which 
my  mate  struck  down  and  joyfully  brought  to  me.  I 
divided  it  into  equal  portions,  and  though  raw,  and 
scarcely  affording  a  mouthful  for  each,  yet  we  received 
and  eat  4t  thankfully. 

^The  last  method  of  rescuing  ourselves  we  could  possi- 
bly devise,  was, to  construct  a  raft  capable  of  cairying 
two  men.  This  proposal  was  strongly  supported  by  a 
Swed^,  one  of  our  men,  a  stout,  brave  fellow,  who,  since 
our  disaster,  had  lost  the  use  of  both  his  feet  by  the 
X  frost.  He  frequently  importuned  me  to  attempt  our  de- 
liverance in  that  way,  offering  himself  to  accompany 
ine,  or,  if  I  refused,  to  go  alone.  After  deliberate  con- 
sideration we  resolved  upon  a  raft,  but  found  great  diffi- 
culty in  clearing  the  fore-yard,  of  which  it  was  chiefly 
to  be  made,  from  the  junk,  as  our  working  handft  were 
■o  few  and  weak. 

This  done,  we  split  the  yard,  and  with  the  two  parts 
made  side-pieces,  nxing  others,  and  adding  some  of  the 
lightest  planks  we  could  find,  first  spiking,  and  after- 
wards making  them  firm.  The  raft  was  four  feet  in 
breadth.  We  fixed  up  a  mast,  and  out  of  two  ham- 
mocks that  were  driven  on  shore  we  made  a  sail,  with  a 
paddle  for  each  man.  and  a  spare  one  in  case  of  neces- 
sity. This  difficulty  being  thus  surmounted,  the  Swede 
frequently  asked  me  whether  I  designed  to  accompany 
him,  gi?ing  me  to  understand,  that  if  I  declined,  there 
was  another  ready  to  offer  himself  for  the  enterprise.  '^'^ 
About  this  time  we  saw  a  sail  come  out  of  Piscataqua 
river,  about  seven  leagues  to  the  westward.  We  again 
made  idl  the  signals  we  could, but  the  wind  being  north- 
west, and  the  ship  standing  to  the  eastward,  she  was 


P 


LOM  OP  THB  aaiVII^MUM  VALLIf  OP  LONPUN.         S18 

preMHily  out  of  tight,  without  ever  coming  near  ut, 
which  proved  an  extreme  mortification  to  our  hopea. 
Tlie  next  day,  being  moderate,  with  a  small  breeze  to- 
ward the  shore  in  the  afternoon,  and  the  raft  being 
wholly  finithed,  the  two  men  were  very  anxious  to  have 
it  launched ;  but  this  was  as  strenuously  opposed  by  the 
mate,  because  i^was  so  late,  being  two  in  the  afternoon. 
They,  however,  urged  the  lightness  of  the  nights,  begged 
me  to  suffer  them  to  proceed,  and  I  at  length  ccmsented. 
They  both  got  upon  the  raft,  when  the  swell,  rolling 
very  high,  soon  overset  them,  as  it  did  our  boat.  The 
Swede  not  daunted  by  this  accident,  swam  on  shore,  but 
the  other  being  no  swimmer,  continued  some  time  under 
water ;  as  soon  as  he  appeared,  1  caught  hold  of  and 
saved  him,  but  he  was  so  discouraged  that  he  was 
afraid  to  make  a  second  attempt.  I  desired  the  Swede 
to  wait  for  a  more  favorable  opportunity,  but  he  contmued  <» 
resolate,  beegtd  me  to  go  with  him,  or  help  him  to  turn 
the  raft,  ana  he  would  go  alone. 
By  this  time  another  man  came  down  and  offered  to 

•  adventure :  when  they  were  upon  the  raft,  I  launched  •: 
them  off,  they  desiring  us  to  go  to  prayers,  and  also  to 
watch  what  became  of  them.    I  did  so,  and  by  suii#t 
iudged  them  half-way  to  the  mainland  and  supposed  that 

^  they  might  reach  the  shore  by  two  in  the  morning. 
They,  however,  probably  fell  in  with  some  breakers,  or 
were  overset  by  the  violence  of  the  sea  and  perished  ;  for. 
•two  days  afterwards,  the  raft  was  found  on  shore,  ana 
one  man  dead  about  a  mile  from  it,  with  a  paddle  fas« 
tened  to  his  wrist ;  but  the  Swede,  who  was  ao  very  for- 
ward to  adventure,  was  never  heard  of  more. 

We,  who  were  left  on  the  desolate  island,  ignorant  ofi 
what  had  befallen  them,  waited  daily  for  deliverance.^ 
Our  expectations  were  the  more  raised  by  a  smoke  we 
observed,  two  days  afterwards  in  the  woods,  wbiilfa  was 
the  signal  appointed  to  be  made  if  they  arriveC  iilely.  v 
This  continued  every  day,  and  we  were  willxng  to^be- 
lieve  that  it  Was  made  on  our  account,  though  we  sa.\f. 
no  appearance  of  any  thing  toward  our  relief.  We  eup** 
posed  that  the  delay  was  occasioned  because  they  wei% 


.^■t 


^^^ 


'.  _■  ,->Ol\'  ".■*U\  %.    j'.'l.J  l\^r  V..^<-.':iL^'^ 


2U 


.y.ixiK(.-i   timtAtLKMWA  tmrmrnmcKM, 


9^1.1 


Dot  able  to  procure  a  vessel  so  soon  as  we  desired,  and 
this  idea  served  to  bear  up  our  spirits  and  to  support  us 
greatly. 

Still  our  principal  want  was  that  of  provision,  having 
nothing  to  eat  but  rock  weed,  and  a  very  few  muscles ; 
indeed,  wh^i  the  spring-tide  was  over,  we  could  scarce- 
ly get  any  at  all.  i  went  myself  as  no  #her  person  was 
able,  several  days  at  low  water,  and  could  find  no  more 
than  two  or  three  apiece.  I  was  frequently  in  danger 
of  losing  my  hands  and  arms,  by  pntting  them  so  often 
into  the  water  after  the  muscles,  and  when  obtained, 
my  stooaach  refused  them,  and  preferred  rockweed. 
^  Upon  our  first  arrival  we  saw  several  seals  upon  the 
rocks,  and  supposing  they  might  harbor  there  in  the 
night,  I  walked  sound  at  midnight,  but  could  never  meet 
with  any  thing.  We_saw  likewise,  a  great  number  of 
birds,  which  perceiving  us  daily  there,  would  never 
lodge  upon  the  rock,  so  that  we  caught  none.       'ir-lNs-'^-^ 

Thifl  disappointment  was  severe,  and  tended  to  aggra- 
vate our  miseries  still  more;  but  it  was  particularly 
looting  to  a  brother  I  had  with  me,  and  another  young 
gentleman,  neither  of  whom  had  before  been  at  sea,  ot 
elfetured  any  kind  of  hardship.  They  were  now  reduc- 
ed to  the  last  extremity,  having  no  assistance  but  what 
they  received  from  me. 

Part  of  a  green  hide,  fastened  to  a  piece  of  the  main- 
yard,  being  thrown  up  by  the  sea,  the  men  importuned 
me  to  bring  it  to  the  tent,  which  being  done,  we  minced* 
it  small  and  swallowed  it  *^ 

About  this  time  I  set  the  men  to  open  junk,  and  wheil 
the  weather  would  permit  I  thatched  the  tent  with  the 
ropef  yarn  in  the  best  manner  I  was  able,  that  it  might 
shelter  us  the  better  from  the  extremities  of  the  wea- 
ther. Thia  proved  of  so  much  service  as  to  turn  two  or 
its  rain,  and  preserve  us  frond  the  cold,  pinch- 
^  which  were  always  very  severe  upon  ns. 
i^e  latter  part  of  December,  our  carpenter,  II 
'  naturally  of  a  dull,  iMMivy,  phl^matic  dis- 
'^i^ged  about  forty-seven,  who,  from  our  first 
'«tk  shore,  had  been  constantly  Very  ill,  and  lost 


0' 


lUtM^.    iiiir^i^a 


loss  OF  THB  MorrmoHAM  oALugnr,  of  london.      210 


r  ' 

the  use  of  his  feet,  complained  of  excessive  pain  in  his 
back,  and  stifftiess  in  his  neck.  He  was  likewise  almost 
choked  with  phlegm,  for  want  of  strength  to  discharge 
it,  and  appeared  to  draw  near  his  end.  We  prayed  over 
him,  aoa  used  our  utmost  endeavors  to  be  serviceable 
to  him  in  his  last  moments ;  he  showed  himself  sensible, 
though  speechless,  and  died  that  night.  We  suffered  the 
body  to  remain  till  morning,  when  I  desired  those  who 
were  moat  able,  to  remove  it ;  creeping  out  myself  to  see 
whether  Providence  had  sent  us  any  thing  to  satiafy  the 
excessive  cravings  of  our  appetites.  Returning^before 
noon,  and  not  seeing  the  dead  body  without  the  tent,  i 
inquired  why  they  had  not  removed  jt,  and  received  for 
answer,  they  were  not  all  of  them  able ;  upon  which, 
fastening  a  rope  to  the  body,  I  gave  the  utmost  of  mf 
assistance,  and  with  soni^  di^culty  we  dragged,  it  out 
of  the  tent.  But  fatigue,  and  the  consideratiou  of  our 
misery,  so  overcame  my  spirits,  that  b^g  ready  to  faiol^.  ;, 
I  crept  into  the  tent,  and  was  no  sooner  there,  4|Pi»#9 
add  to  my  trouble,  the  men  began  to  request  my  perwhr  ^ 
sion  to  eat  the  tlead  body,  the  better  to  supp<»t  ^M^^ 

lives.     '  ,.:tof";': 

a  "This  circumstance  was,  of  all  the  trials  I  had^encongi 
tered,  the  most  grievous  and  shocking  :-t— to  see  mya^  ( 
and  company,  who  came  hither  laden  with  ,pi!ovi8iwe\^ 
but  three  weeks  before,  now  reduced  to  such  a  deplc^rair  i' 
ble  situation ;  two  of  us  having  been  absolutely  starved  ] 
jfo  death,  while,  ignorant  of  the  fate  of  two  others,  the 
rest,  though  still  living,  were  reduced  to  the  last  extre#  ; 
mity,  and  requiring  to  eat  the  dead  for  their  support. 
H  After  mature  consideration  of  the  lawfulness  or  sin^ 
fulness,  on  the  one  hand,  andnibsolute  necessity  on  th# 
other,  judgment  and  conscience  were  obliged  to  submits 
to  the  more  prevailing  arguments  of  our  craving  atpper^' 
tites.    We,  at  length,  determined  to  satisfy  onr  hunger, 
and  support  our  leeble  bodies  with  the  carcass  of  our 
deceased  companion.    I  first  ordered  bis  skim,  head,  , 
hands,  feet,  and  bowels,  to  be  buried  in  the  seaj  and  th^^^^ 
body  to  be  quartered,  for  the  eonvenience  of  cbrying  aoMi 
carriage,  but  again  received  for  aiuwery  that  ftone  oC^ 


f 


•'■ 


216 


y.  <>•./>■■■ 


RBMARKABLB    SWPWRBCKS. 


'->    rf,*UJ^I 


them  being  able,  they  intreated  I  would  perform  that 
labor  for  them.  This  was  a  hard  task ;  but  their  inces- 
sant prayers  and  entreaties  at  last  prevailed  over  my  re- 
luctance, and  by  night  I  had  completed  the  operation. 

I  cut  part  of  the  flesh  into  thin  slices,  and  washing  it 
in  salt  water,  brought  it  to  the  tent  and  obliged  the  men 
to  eat  rock-weed  with  it  instead  of  bread.  My  mate 
and  two  others  refused  to  eat  any  that  night,  but  the 
next  morning  they  complied,  and  earnestly  desired  to  par- 
take with  the  rest. 

I  found  that  they  all  eat  with  the  utmost  avidity,  so 
that  I  was  obliged  to  carry  the  quarters  farther  trom  the 
tent,  out  of  their  reach,  lest  they  should  injure  them- 
selves by  eiLting  too  much,  and  likewise  expend  our 
small  stock  too  soon. 

^^  I  also  limited  each  man  to  an  equal  portion,  that  they 
might  not  quarrel  or  have  cause  to  reflect  on  me  or  one 
another.  This  method  I  was  the  more  obliged  to  adopt, 
because,  in  a  few  days,  I  found  their  dispositions  en^ 
tirely  changed,  and  that  aflfectionate,  peaceable  temper 
they  had  hitherto  manifested,  totally  lost.  Their  eyes 
looked  wild  and  staring,  their  countenances  fierce  and 
bftrbarous.  Instead  of  obeying  my  commands,  as  tfaby 
had  universally  and  cheerfully  done  before,  I  now  found 
even  prayers  and  entreaties  vain  and  fruitless ;  nothing 
was  now  to  be  heard  but  brutal  quarrels,  with  horrid 
oaths  and  imprecations,  instead  of  tha2  quiet  submissive 
spirit  of  prayer  and  supplication  they  had  before  mani- 
fested.   ^^  ''-■W'  o?  b-rinii':*-^  -ngv/    ■HTr;'tj,.^j^  •■  rsr^uoo?  ,Jv  * 

This,  together  with  the  dismal  prospect  of  future  want, 
obliged  me  to  keep  a  strict  watch  over  the  rest  of  the 
body,  lest  any  of  them,  4f  able,  should  ^get  to  it,  and  if 
that  were  spent  we  should  be  compelled  to  feed  upon 
the  living,  which  wb  certaiiily  must  have  done,  had  we 
renlttined  in  that  situation  a  few  days  longer. 
^  The  goodness  of  God  now  began  to  appear,  and  to 
make  provision  for  our  deliverance,  by  putting  it  into 
the  hearts  of  the  good  people  on  the  shore  to  which  our 
raft  was  driven,  to  «ome  oiut  in  search  of  us,  which  they 
did  on  the  2d  of  January^  in  the  morning. 


# 


♦  ^ 


'"WRJ^-lTi' 


that 
inces- 
ny  re- 
ion, 
ling  it 
e  men 
r  mate 
>ut  the 
to  par-  ^ 

lity,  so 

um  the 

them- 

:id  our 

at  they 
i  or  one 
3  adopt, 
3ns  en- 
temper 
lir  eyes 
Tce  and 
as  thtey 
V  found 
nothing 
I  horrid 
)mi8sive 
•e  mani- 

re  want, 
jt  of  the 

and  if 
led  upon 

had  we 

,  and  to 
ig  it  into 
hich  our 
lich  they 


LOSS  OF  TH9  NOTTWOHAir  GALLEY,  OF  LONDON.         ^%, 

■  Just  as  I  was  creeping  out  of  the  tent  I  saw  a  shallop 
half  way  from  the  shore,  standing  directlv  toward  us. 
Our  joy  and  satisfaction,  at  the  prospect  of  such  speedy 
and  unexpected  deliverance,  no  tongue  is  able  to  express, 
nor  thought  to  conceive. 

:  Our  good  and  welcome  friends  came  to  an  anchor  to 
the  south-west,  at  the  distance  of  about  one  hundred 
yards,  the  swell  preventing  them  from  approaching 
nearer ;  but  their  anchor  coming  home  obliged  them  to 
stand  off  till  about  noon,  waitmg  for  smoother  water 
upon  the  flood.  Meanwhile  our  passions  were  differently 
agitated  ;  onr  expectations  of  dehverance,  and  fears  of 
miscarriage,  h^ri^d  oux  wealj:  and  4i|0lp^r^  §fiP^ 
Strangely.  *  -r-^?  i_^  ^ 

I  gave  them  an  account  of  all  our  miseries,  excepting 
the  want  of  provisions,  which  I  did  not  mention,  lest  the 
fear  of  being  constrained  by  the  weather  to  remain  with 
us,  might  have  prevented  them  from  coming  on  shore. 
[  earnestly  entreated  them  to  attempt  our  immediate  4e- 
liverance,  or  at  least  to  furnish  us  if  possible,  with  ^re, 
which,  with  the  utmost  hazard  and  difficulty  they  ^t 
last  accomplished,  by  sending  a  small  canoe^  witli  one 
man,  who,  after  great  exertion,  p;ot  on  shore.     1    u^^ 

After  helping  him  up  with  his  canoe,  and  seeing  no- 
thing to  eat,  I  asked  him  if  he  could  give  us  fire :— he 
answered  in  the  affirmative,  but  was  so  affrighted  by  niy 
thin  and  meagre  appearance  that,  at  first,  ^e  cpuln 
scarcely  return  me  an  answer.  However,  recoUjBcting 
himself,  after  j^yeral  questions  asked  on  both  sides,  he 
went  with  me  to  the  tent,  where  he  was  surprised  to  see 
so  many  of  us  in  such  a  deplorable  condition.  Our  flesji 
was  so  wasted,  and  our  looks  were  so  ghastlv  and  fright- 
ful, that  it  was  really  a  very  dismal  spectacle. 

With  some  difficulty  we  made  a  fire,  after  which, 
determining  to  go  on  board  myself  with  the  nian,  and  jto 
send  for  the  rest,  oi^  or  two  at  a  time,  we  both  g;pt  into 
the  canoe ;  but  the  sea  immediately  drove  us  agam^t  t^ 
rock  with  such  violence  that  we  were  overset,  anql  1?eing 
very  weak,  it  was  a  considerable  time  before  I  opjuld  r(S- 
cover  myself,  so  that  I  had  again  a  very  narrow 
19 


i^t- 


.'-#-, 
•■■^r 


s«»- 


tT 


t 


8i8 


REMABKABLB  SHIPWRECKS. 


from  drowning.    The  good  man    with  great  difficulty 

Sot  on  board  without  me,  desiring  to  return  the  next 
ay  with  better  conveniences,   if  the  weather  should 
permit. 

[t  was  an  afflicting  sight  to  observe  our  friends  in  the 
shallop,  standing  aWay  for  the  shore  without  us.  But 
God,  who  orders  every  thing  for  the  best,  doubtless  had 
designs  of  preservation  in  denying  us  the  appearance  of 
present  deliverance :  finr  the  wind  coming  about  to  south- 
east, it  blew  so  hard  t^at  the  shallop  was  lost,  and  the 
crew  with  extreme  difficulty,  saved  their  lives.  Had 
we  been  with  them  it  is  more  than  probable  that  we 
should  all  have  perished,  not  having  strength  sufficient 
to  help  ourselves.  f^ 

When  they  had  reached  the  shore  they  immediately 
sent  an  express  to  Portsmouth,  in  Piscataqua,  where  the 
good  people  made  no  delay  in  hastening  to  our  delive- 
rance as  soon  as  the  weather  would  allow.  To  our 
great  sorrow,  and  as  a  farther  trial  of  our  patience,  the 
next  day  continued  very  stormy,  and  though  we  doubted 
not  but  the  people  on  shore  knew  our  condition,  and 
would  assist  us  as  soon  as  possible,  yet  our  flesh  being 
nearly  consumed,  being  without  fresh  water,  and  uncer- 
tain how  long  the  unfavorable  weather  might  continue, 
our  situation  was  extremely  miserable.  We,  however, 
received  great  benefit  from  our  fire,  as  we  could  both 
warm  ourselves  and  broil  our  meat. 

The  next  day,  the  men  being  very  importunate  for 
flesh,  I  gave  them  rather  more  than  uipal,  but  not  to 
their  satisfaction.  They  would  certainly  have  eaten  up 
the  whole  at  once,  had  I  not  carefully  watched  them, 
with  the  intention  of  sharing  the  rest  next  morning,  if 
the  weather  continued  bad.  The  wind,  however,  abated 
that  night,  and  early  next  morning  a  shallop  came  for 
us,  with  my  much  esteemed  friends  captain  Long  and 
captain  Purver,  and  three  other  men,  who  brought  a 
large  canoe,  and  in  two  hours  %ot  us  all  on  board,  being , 
obliged  to  carry  almost  all  of  us  upon  their  backs  from 
the  tent  to  the  canoe,  and  fetch  us  off'  by  two  or  three  at 
atime. 


LOSS  OF  TBK  DROITS  VE  L'HOMMB. 


219 


i5ulty 

next 

lould 

[n  the 

But 
3  had 
ice  of 
south- 
id  the 

Had 
lat  we 
Bcient 

liately 
ere  the 
delive- 
ro  our 
ice,  the 
oubted 
a,  and 
1  being 
uncer- 
ntinue, 
wever, 
Id  both 

late  for 
not  to 
iten  up 
them, 

ling,  if 

abated 

me  for 

|ng  and 

lUght  a 

being 

:s  from 

;hree  at 


I 


1 


When  we  first  came  on  board  the  shallop,  each  of  us 
eat  a  piece  of  bread,  and  drank  a  dram  of  rum,  and  most 
of  us  were  extremely  sea-sick :  but  after  we  had  cleans- 
ed our  stomachs  and  tasted  warm  nourishing  food,  we 
became  so  exceeding  hungry  and  ravenous,  that  had  not 
our  friends  dieted  us,  and  limited  the  quantity  for  two 
or  three  days,  we  should  certainly  have  destroyed  our- 
selves with  eating. 

Two  days  after  our  coming  on  shore,  my  apprentice 
lost  the  greater  part  of  one  foot ;  all  the  rest  recovered 
their  limbs,  but  not  their  perfect  use  ;  very  few,  except- 
ing myself,  escaping  without  losing  the  benefit  of  fingers 
or  toes,  though  otherwise  all  were  in  perfect  health. 


'■.■*-"*''■    "•.■Tit*       f-rf<-i        r-y  #    r      t-i      ^  L-     ,,jkf,i.\-^-        -A  .-..  i«  ■-*,-,  -tf  ,     A  I .  .\  j,%  •  *i 

LOSS  OF  THE  FRENCH  SHIP  DROITS  DE  4 


L'HOMME. 


4'  ^At',.*^,^':*^^*''*^-' 


•x^m 


On  the  6th  of  January,  1797,  returning  home  on'Ieave 
of  absence  from  the  West  Indies,  in  the  Cumberland 
letter  of  marque,  for  the  recover/  of  my  health,  saw  a 
large  man-of-war-  off  the  coast  o  Ireland,  being  than 
within  four  leagues  of  the  mouth  of  the  river  Shannon. 
She  hoisted'  English  colors,  and  decoyed  us  within 
gun-shot,  when  she  substituted  the  tri-colored  flag,  and. 
took  us.  She  proved  to  be  les  Droits  de  L'Homme,  of 
74  guns,  comoi^nded  by  the  ci  denant  baron,  now  citi- 
zen La  Crosse,  and  had  separated  from  a  fleet  of  men-of- 
war,  on  board  of^which  were  twenty  thousand  troops, 
intended  to  invade  Ireland.,  On  board  of  tliis  ship  was 
General  Humbert,  who  afterwards  effected  a  descent  in 
Ireland  (in  1799)  with  nine  hundred  troops  and  six  hun- 
dred "seamen.* 

•On  the  7th  of  January,  went  into  Bantry  Bay  to  sec 
if  any  of  the  squadron  were  still  there,  and  on  finding 
none,  the  ship  proceeded  to  the  southward.     Nothing 

*  Sir  Edward  Pellew  has  since  told  me  that  the  official  acoonnt  from 
F^nce,  on  which  he  has  received  head  monej,  amouated  to  one  thoUMmd  9^*^ 
nniidred  and  fifty  souls  at  the  time  of  the  shipwreck. 


—     t  ,*w^  i.i 


*  :» 


n\r  IBMAREABb*  8HIPWRS0U. 


extraordinary  occurred  until  the  evening  of  the  13th, 
when  two  men-of-war  hove  in  sight,  which  afterwards 
proved  to  be  the  Indefatigable  and  Amazon  frigates.  It 
M  rather  remarkable  that  the  captain  of  the  ship  should 
inform  me,  that  the  squadron  which  was  going  to  ?ngage 
him  was  Sir  Edward  Pellew's,  and  declared,  as  was 
afterwards  proved  by  the  issue,  that  "  he  would  not  yield 
to  any  two  English  frigates,  but  would  sooner  sink  his 
ship  with  every  soul  (m  board."  The  ship  was  then 
cleared  for  action,  and  we  English  prisoners,  consisting 
of  three  infantry  officers,  two  captains  of  merchantmen, 
Iwo  women,  aud  forty-eight  seamen  and  soldiers,  were 
conducted  down  to  the  cable  tier  at  the  foot  of  the  fore- 
mast 

The  action  began  with  opening  the  lower  deck  ports, 
which,  However,  were  soon  shut  again,  on  account  of  the 
great  sea,  which  occasioned  the  water  to  rush  in  to  such 
a  degree  that  we  felt  it  running  on  the  cables.  I  must 
here  observe,  that  the  ship  was  built  on  a  new  construc- 
tion, Qonsiderably  longer  than  men-of-war  of  her  rate, 
and  her  lower  deck,  on  which  she  mounted  thirty-two 
pounders  French,  equal  to  forty  .pounders  English,  was 
two  feet  and  a  half  lower  than  usual.  The  situation  of 
the  ship,  before  she  struck  on  the  rocks,  has  been  fully 
represented  by  Sir  Edward  Pellew,  in  his  letter  of  the 
l/th  of  January,  to  Mr.  Nepean:  the  awful  task  is  left 
for  me  to  relate  what  ensued. 

At  about  four  in  the  morninff,  a  dreadful  convulsion,  at 
the  foot  of  the  foremast,  roused  us  from  i^tate  of  anxie- 
ty for  our  fate  to  the  idea  that  the  sl^p  was  sinking ! — 
It  was  the  fore-mast  that  fell  over,  the  side ;  in  about  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  an  awful  mandate  from  above  was 
re-echoed  from  all  parts  of  the  ship :  Pauvres  Anglais  ! 
pauvres  Anglais !  Montez  Men  vite,  nous  sommes  tous 
perdue! — "Poor  Englishmen  !  poor  Englishmen!  come 
on  deck  as  fast  as  you  can,  we  are  all  lost !"  Every  one 
raUier  flew  than  climbed.  Though  scarcely  able  to 
move  before,  from  sickness,  yet  I  now  felt  an  eilergetic 
Btrei^h  in  all  my  frame,  and  soon  gained  the  upper 
deck,  but  what  a  sight !  dead,  8ud  woiu^ded,  and  Uvuig, 


®<.-v 


LOSS  OP  THB  DROITS  DB  L'HOMMB. 


»1 


Uitermingled  in  a  state  terrible  beyond  description :  not  a 
mast  standing,  a  dreadful  loom  of  the  land,  and  breaJcers 
all  around  us.  The  Indefatigable,  on  the  starboard  quar- 
ter, appeared  standing  o£f,  in  a  most  tremendous  sea, 
from  the  Penmark  Rocks,  which  threatened  her  with  in- 
stant destruction.  To  the  great  humanity  of  her  com- 
mander, those  few  persons  who  survived  the  shipwreck, 
are  indebted  for  their  lives,  for  had  another  broadside 
been  fired,  the  commanding  situation  of  the  Indefatiga- 
ble must  have  swept  off,  at  least,  a  thousand  men. — 
On  the  starboard  side  was  seen  the  Amazon,  within 
two  miles,  just  struck  on  shore.  Our  own  fate  drew 
near.  The  ship  struck  and  immediately  sunk !  Shrieks 
of  horror  and  dismay  were  heard  from  all  quarters, 
while  the  merciless  waves  tore  from  the  wreck  many 
early  victims.  Day-light  appeared,  and  we  beheld  the 
shore  lined  with  people,  who  could  render  us  no  assist- 
ance. At  low  water,  rafts  were  constructed,  and  the 
boats  were  got  in  readiness  to  be  hoisted  out.  The  dusk 
arrived,  and  an  awful  night  ensued.  The  dawn  of  the 
day  brought  with  it  still  severer  miseries  than  ^  first, 
for  the  wants  of  nature  could  scarcely  be  endured  any 
longer,  having  been  already  near  thirty  hours  without 
any  means  ofsubsistence,  and  :io  possibility  of  procuring 
them.  At  law  water  a  small  boat  was  hoisted  out,  and 
an  English  captain  and  eight  sailors  succeeded  in  getting 
to  the  shore.  Elated  at  the  success  of  these  men,  all 
thought  their  deliverance  at  hand,  and  many  launched 
out  OP.  their  rafts,  but,  alas !  death  soon  ended  their 
hopes.  f^ 

Another  night  renewed  our  afflictions.  The  morning 
of  the  third,  fraiJ^ht  with  still  greater  evils,  appeared; 
our  continual  sufi^rings  made  us  exert  the  last  effort, 
and  we,  English  prisoners,  tried  every  means  to  save 
as  many  of  our  fellow-creatures  as  lay  in  our  power.— 
Larger  rafts  were  constructed,  and  the  largest  boat  was 
got  over  the  side.  The  first  consideration  was  to  lay 
the  surviving  wounded,  the  women,  ai.d  helpless  men, 
in  the  boat,  but  the  idea  of  equality  so  fatally  promulga- 
ted among  the  French,  destroyed  all  subofdina^ioa, 
19*  ^^ 


UMABKABLB   8HIPWRKCK8. 


)J 


' 


;^ 


and  nearly  oho  hundred  and  twenty  having  jumped  into 
the  boat,  in  defiance  of  their  officers,  they  sank  her. — 
The  most  dreadful  sea  that  I  ever  saw,  seemed  at  that 
fatal  moment  to  aggravate  the  calamity ;  nothing  of  the 
boat  was  seen  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  when  the  bodies 
floated  in  all  directions ;  then  appeared,  in  all  their  hor- 
rors, the  wreck,  the  shores,  the  aying  and  the  drowned ! 
Indofatiffable  in  acts  of  humanity,  an  adjutant-general, 
Renier,  launched  himself  into  the  sea,  to  obtain  succor 
from  the  shore,  and  perished  in  the  attempt. 

Nearly  one  half  of  the  people  had  already  perished, 
when  the  horrors  of  the  fourth  night  renewed  all  our 
miseries.  Weak,  distracted,  and  destitute  of  every  thing, 
we  enviad  the  fate  of  those  whose  lifeless  corpses  no 
longer  wanted  sustenance.  The  sense  of  hunger  was 
already  lost,  but  a  parching  thirst  consumed  our  vitals. 
Recourse  was  had  to  urine  and  salt  water,  which  only 
increased  our  want ;  half  a  hogshead  of  vinegar  indeed 
floated  up,  of  which  each  had  half,  a  wine  glass :  it  af- 
forded a  momentary  relief,  yet  soon  left  us  again  in  the 
same  state  of  dreadful  thirst.  Almost  at  the  last  gasp, 
every  one  was  dying  with  misery,  and  the  ship,  now 
one  third  shattered  away  from  the  stem,  scarcely  afford- 
ed a  grasp  to  hold  by,  to  the  exhausted  and  helpless  sur- 
vivor*?. 

The  fourth  day  brought  with  it  a  more  serene  sky,  and 
the  sea  seemed  to  subside,  but  to  behold,  from  fore  to 
aft,  tho  d3ring  in  all  directions,  was  a  sight  too  shocking 
for  the  feeling  mind  to  endure.  Almost  lost  to  a  sense 
of  humanity,  we  no  longer  looked  with  pity  on  those 
whom  we  considered  only  as  the  forerunners  of  our  own 
speedy  fate,  and  a  consultation  took  place,  to  sacrifice 
srme  one  to  be  food  for  the  remainder.  The  die  was 
going  to  be  cast,  when  the  welcome  sight  of  a  man-of- 
war  brig  renewed  our  hopes.  A  cutter  speedily  followed, 
and  both  anchored  at  a  short  distance  from  the  wreck. 
They  then  sent  their  boats  to  us,  and  by  means  of  large 
rafts,  about  one  hundred,  out  of  four  hundred,  who  at- 
tempted it,  were  saved  by  the  brig  that  evening.  Three 
hundred  and  eighty  were  left  to  endure  another  night's 


LOSS  O^  THE  EAML  OF  ABBRGATBNNT. 


m 


misery,  when,  dreadful  to  relate,  above  one  half  were 
found  dead  the  next  morning ! 

{  was  saved  about  ten  o'clock,  on  the  morning  of  the 
18th,  with  my  two  brother  officers,  the  Captain  of  the 
ship,  and  General  Humbert.  They  treated  us  with  great 
humanity  on  board  the  cutter,  giving  us  a  little  weak 
brandy  and  water  every  five  or  six  minutes,  and  after 
that,  a  basin  of  good  soup.  I  fell  on  the  locker  in  a 
kind  of  trance  for  nearly  thirty  hours,  and  swelled  to  such 
a  degree  as  to  require  medical  aid  to  restore  my  decayed 
faculties.  Having  lost  all  our  baggage,  we  were  taken  to 
Brest  almost  naked,  where  they  gave  us  a  rough  shift  of 
clothes,  and  in  consequence  of  our  sufferings,  and  the 
help  we  afforded  in  saving  many  lives,  a  cartel  was  fitted 
out  by  order  of  the  French  government  to  send  us  home, 
without  ransom  or  exchange.  We  arrived  at  Plymouth 
on  the  7th  of  March  following. 

To  that  Providence,  whose  great  workings  I  have 
experienced  in  this  most  awful  trial  of  human  afflictions, 
be  ever  offered  the  tribute  of  my  praise  and  thanksgiving. 


LOSS  OP  THE  EARL  OF  ABERGAVENNY^ 

^.<  «h^,.q  .^Mu.    EAST  INDIAMAN.   ,^.  mm  jm»M 


The  univeisal  concern  occasioned  by  the  loss  of  the 
Earl  of  Abergavenny,  has  induced  us  to  lay  before  our 
readers  an  accurate  statement  of  this  melancholy  disasr^,. 
ter,  chiefly  collected  from  the  accounts  which  were  given 
at  the  India-House,  by  Cornet  Burgoyne,  of  his  majesty's 
eighth  regiment  of  light  dragoons,  who  had  the  com- 
mand of  the  troops  on  board  the  above  vessel,  and  by 
the  fourth  officer  of  the  ship,  (who  were  imong  the  few 
who  fortunately  escaped  from  the  wreck,)  and  from  the 
best  information  afterwards  received. 

On  Friday,  February  the  1st,  the  Earl  of  Abergaven**. 
ny,   East-Indiaman,   captain  Wadsworth,   sailed  from 
Portsmouth,  in  company  wkh  the  royal  George,  Henry 
Addington,  Wexford,  and  Bombay  Castle,  under  convof 
of  his  majesty's  ship  Weymouth,  captain  Draper. 


s^- 


tlMASKABLB  8RIPWRBCK8. 


u 


^'  The  Earl  of  Abergarenny  was  en^ged  in  the  compa- 
ny's service  for  six  voyages,  and  this  was  the  fourth  on 
which  she  was  proceeding. 
Her  company  consisted  of  -   * 

^      Seamen,  ftc .     160 

''      Troops,  King's  and  Company's  ....     159 
Passengers  at  the  Captain's  table    .    .    •     .49"'  , 

*      Ditto,  at  the  Third  Mate's fj  • »[ 

'"     Chinese       32  ;' 

V  Total  402 

In  goinff  through  the  Needles,  they  unfortunately 
separated  Irom  the  convoy.  The  fleet,  in  conse<|uence, 
lay  to  nearly  the  whole  of  the  next  day ;  but  seemg  no- 
thing of  the  \yeymouth,  proceeded  under  moderate  sail 
towards  the  next  port,  in  hopes  of  being  joined  by  the 
convoy.  On  the  5th,  the  convoy  not  appearins,  it  was 
deemed  expedient  to  wait  her  arrival  in  Portland  Roads, 
particularly  as  the  wind  had  become  rather  unfavorable, 
having  shifted  several  points  from  the  N.  E.  Captain 
Clarke  of  the  Wexford,  being  senior-commander,  and 
consequently  commodore,  made  the  signal  for  those  ships 
that  had  taken  Pilots  on  board,  to  run  into  the  Roads. 

The  Earl  of  Abergavenny  having  at  about  half  past 
three,  P.  M.  got  a  pilot  on  board,  bore  up  for  Portland 
Roads  with  a  steady  wind,  when  on  a  sudden  the  wind 
slackened,  and  the  tide  setting  in  fast,  drove  her  rapidly 
on  the  Shambles.  The  nearer  she  approached,  the  less 
she  was  Uwuer  management ;  and  being  at  last  totally 
ungovernable,  was  driven  furiously  on  the  rocks,  off  the 
Bill  of  Portland,  about  two  miles  from  the  shore.  She 
remained  on  the  rocks  nearly  an  hour,  beating  in- 
cessantly with  great  violence,  the  shocks  being  so  great, 
that  the  officers  and  men  could  scarcely  keep  their  foot- 
ing on  the  deck.  At  four  P.  M.  the  shocks  became  less 
violent,  and  in  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour  she  cleared 
the  rocks.  The  sails  were  immediately  set,  with  an  in- 
tentijn  to  run  for  the  first  port,  as  the  ship  made  much 
water;  but  the  leak  increased  so  fast  that  the  ship 
Would  not  obey  the  helm.    In  this  situation,  it  was  con- 


LOU  or  TBI  !▲!&  or  ABIRAATBNNT 


,\^     I 


i»M 


LC 


m- 


an  in- 
much 
)  ship 
con- 


sideTed  necessary  to  fireoisnal  guns  of  distress.  Twenty 
vek's  fired :  the  danger  did  not,  however,  appear  to  those 
en  board  sufficient  to  render  it  necessary  for  the  ship's 
boats  to  be  hoisted  out  at  this  moment,  as  the  weather 
wf.8  moderate,  and  the  ship  in  sight  of  the  fleet  and 
chore. 

The  leak  increased  fast  upon  the  pumps  at  five,  P.  M. 
Soon  after  striking,  the  hand  pumps  started  above  six 
inche8,~'and  shortly  after  the  water  increased  from  six 
to  eignt  feet  in  spite  of  every  exertion  at  the  pumps.  All 
endeaTois  to  keep  the  water  under  were  found  in  vain, 
and  night  setting  in  rendered  the  situation  of  all  on 
board  melancholy  in  the  extreme;  the  more  so,  as  it 
was  theu  ascertained  that  the  ship  hod  received  consi- 
del  able  damage  iu  her  bottom,  immediately  under  the 
pumps.  All  hands  took  their  turn  at  the  pumps,  alter- 
nately baiMng  al  the  fore>hatchway.  At  eight  o'clock 
their  situation  became  still  more  dreadful,  when  it  was 
found  impossible  to  save  the  ship,  which  was  eventually 
sinking  fast,  and  settling  into  the  water.  Signal  guns 
were  again  diccharged  incessantly.  The  purser,  with 
the  third  officer,  Mr.  Wadsworth,  and  six  seamen,  were 
sent  on  shore,  in  one  of  the  ship's  boats,  to  give  notice 
to  the  inhabitants  of  the  distressed  state  of  the  ship  and 
crew.  At  this  time  a  pilot  boat  came  off,  and  Mr.  Evan's 
with  his  daughter,  Mr.  Rcutledge,  Mr.  Taylor,  a  cadet, 
and  Miss  Jackson,  passengers,  embarked  ^or  the  shore, 
notwithstanding  a  dreadful  sea,  which  threatened  them 
with  almost  instant  destruction. 

For  a  few  moments  the  general  attention  of  the  crew 
was  diverted  in  observing  the  boats  leave  the  ship ;  but 
these  unfortunate  people  were  soon  reminded  of  their 
own  approaching  fate,  by  a  heavy  swell,  which  baffled 
almost  every  attempt  to  keep  the  ship  above  water. 
Every  one- seemed  assured  of  his  fate,  and  notwithstand- 
ing  the  unremitting  attention  of  the  officers,  confusion 
commenced  on  board,  as  soon  as  it  was  given  out  that 
the  ship  was  sinking.  At  tmi,  P.  M.  several  sailors  in- 
treated  to  bp  allowed  more  liquor,  which  b^g  refused, 
they  attacked  the  spirit-room,  but  were  repulsed  by  the 


«i^ 


"^lltMlllABtl  IHlPWllOKf.     **^\ 


offleert,  who  nevw  onoe  lost  sight  of  their  character,  cr 
that  dignity  so  necetaary  to  be  preserved  on  such  an  o:  • 
casion,  but  continued  to  conduct  themseWes  with  ibe 
utmost  fortitude  to  the  last.  One  of  the  officers,  nho 
was  stationed  at  the  door  of  the  spirit-room,  with  a  brace 
of  pistols  to  guard  against  surprise  in  so  critical  a  mo- 
ment, at  which  post  he  remained  eren  while  the  ship 
was  sinking,  was  much  importuned  by  a  sailor,  while 
the  water  poured  in  on  all  sides,  to  grant  him  some 
liouor.  The  man  said  he  was  conrincwL  "  it  would  be 
all  one  with  them  in  an  hour  hence."  Tna  oificer^ 
however,  true  to  his  trust  in  this  perilous  moment,  had 
courage  enough  to  repulse  the  man,  and  bid  him  go  to 
his  duty  with  his  fellow-comrades,  observing,  **  that  if  it 
God's  will  they  should  perish,  they  should  die  like 


iiien< 


mi, 


At  half  past  ten  the  water  had  got  above  the  orlop- 
deck,  in  sfHte  of  the  endeavors  of  the  officers  and  crew 
who  behaved  in  the  most  cool  and  exemplary  manner. 
All  on  board  were  now  anxiously  looking  out  for  boats 
tVora  the  shore,  many  wishing  they  had  taken  refuge  in 
those  that  had  already  left  the  ship,  as  their  destruction 
on  board  appeared  inevitable.  The  utmost  exertions 
became  necessary  to  keep  the  ship  above  water  till  the 
boats  came  off  froin  the  shore.  Unfortunately  in  the 
general  distress  and  agony  of  the  moment,  the  ship's 
boats  were  not  hoisted  out,  when  every  soul  on  board 
might  possibly  have  been  saved.  At  eleven  o'clock,  a 
fatal  swell  gave  the  ship  a  sudden  shock :  she  gave  a 
suiKe,  and  sank  almost  mstantaneously,  two  miles  from 
Weymouth  beach ;  with  scarcely  five  minutes  warning, 
she  went  down  by  the  head  in  twelve  fathom  water, 
after  a  heavj  heel,  when  she  righted  and  sank  with  her 
masts  and  rigging  standing.  Many  clung  to  loose  spars, 
and  floated  aiMut  the  wreck,  but  the  majority  took  refuge 
in  the  riirouds.  The  severe  shock  of  the  ship  going 
down,  made  several  let  go  their  hold,  whilst  others,  by 
the  velocity  of  the  ship's  descent,  had  not  power  to  climb 
sufficiently  fast  to  keep  above  the  water.  The  Halse- 
well  East  Indiaman  was  wrecked  Within  a  few  miles 
frcoi  this  spot. 


LOSS  or  nB«ABL  or  AimMVUfNT. 


When  the  hull  of  the  ship  touched  the  ground,  about 
one  hundred  and  eightv  persons  were  supposed  to  be  in 
the  tops  and  rigging :  thcnr  situation  was  terrible  bevond 
description :  the  yards  only  were  abore  water,  and  the 
sea  was  breaking  over  them,  in  the  «^.ead  of  a  cold  and 
frosty  night.  In  about  half  an  hour  their  spirits  were 
revived,  by  the  sound  of  several  boats  beating  against 
the  waves  at  a  short  distance :  but,  alas  !  how  vain  their 
hopes,  when  on  hailing  the  boats,  not  one  of  them  came 
to  their  assistance.  Tne  sound  of  them  died  away,  and 
they  were  again  left  to  the  mercy  of  the  rude  waves. 
By  twelve  o'clock  their  numbers  had  much  decreased : 
thie  swell  had  swept  off  some,  whilst  others  were,  from 
the  piercing  cold,  unable  longer  to  retain  their  hold. 
Every  moment  thev  perceived  *"  some  friend  floating 
around  them,  for  awhile,  then  sinking  into  the  abyss  to 
rise  no  more. 

About  this  time  a  sloop  was  discovered ;  she  had  for^ 
tunately  heard  the  signal  guns,  and  came  to  an  anchor 
close  by  the  ship.  The  weather  was  moderate,  and 
those  whr  lad  survived  were  now  promised  a  speedv 
delivery.  The  sloop's  boat  was  immediately  manned, 
and  pro(*iN!«ded  to  the  rigging  that  remained  amvc  water, 
when  erevy  person  was  taken  off.  The  boat  returned 
three  times,  taking  twenty  each  return.  Nothing  could 
be  more  correct  than  the  conduct  of  the  crew  on  this  oc- 
casion :  they  coolly  got  into  the  boat,  one  by  one  and 
those  only  as  they  were  named  by  their  officers.  When 
it  was  supposed  that  every  one  wn^  brought  off,  and  the 
boat  was  about  to  depart  for  the  last  time,  a  person  was 
observed  in  one  of  the  tops :  he  was  hailed  but  did 
not  answer.  Mr.  Gilpin,  the  fourth  oMcer,  (whose  ex- 
traordinary exertions  on  this  occasion,  as  well  as  through- 
out the  whole  of  this  unfortunate  affair,  entitled  him  to 
the  highest  commendati<»i,)  returned  to  the  wreck,  and 
there  found  a»man  in  an  inanimate  state,  exhausted 
from  tihe  severe  cold.  He  most  humanely  brought  him 
down  on  his  back,  and  took  him  to  the  boat ;  the  man 
proved  to  be  sergeant  Heart  of  the  22d  regiment.  Every 
possible  care  was  taken  of  him,  but  to  no  effect :  he  died 


*^H? 


r«i    UmiAVABUt  ffffOMmOKB.    ^    j 


'i 


cAtout  twelve  hours  after  be  had  landed.  The  sloop 
having  now,  a»  was  supposed,  taken  on  board  all  tho 
survivors  of  the  ship,  returned  to  Weymouth.  She  had 
not  however,  proceeded  fieur,  before  it  was  perceived;  that 
Mr.  Baggot,  the  chieifi  officer,  was  close  ftstem.  The 
sloop  imfuediately  lay  to  for  him;  but  this  noble  spirited 
young  ipan,  although  certain  of  securing  his,  own  life, 
disregarded  his  own  safety,  on  perceiving  Mrs.  Blair,  an 
unfortunate  fellow  paiusenger,  noating  at  some  distance 
fr<Hn  him.  He  succeeded  in  coming  up  with  her^,  and 
sustained  her  above  water,  while  he  swam  towards  the 
sloop ;  but  just  as  he  was  on  the.  point  of  reaching  it,  a 
swell  came  on,  and  his  strength  being  totally  exhausted, 
he  sank  and  never  rose  again.  The  unfortunate  Mrs. 
Blair  sank  afte^:  him,  and  this  generous  youtii  thus  pe- 
rished in  vain.  It  was  nearly  two  o'clock,  before  the 
sloop  weighed  anchor  from  the  wreck,  but  the  wind  be- 
ing favorable  she  soon  reached  the  port.  On  mustering 
those  who  had  landed,  it  appeared  that  only  one  hundred 
and  fifty-five  persons  had  reached  the  shore  put  of  four 
huDidred  and  two  who  had  embarked  I  ji  itsj<^  /^rfw  ^m^f^ 

The  greatest  attention  was  paid  to  the  unfortunate 
su^reiris  by  the  mayor  and  aldermen  as  "well  as  the 
P^wcipal  inhabitants  of  Weymouth ;  and  the  purser  was^ 
injkfip^iately^  dispatched  to  the  India  House  with  the  me- 
lancholy intelligence. 

At  daylight,  February  the  6th,  the  top-masts  of  the 
sh^p  were  seen  from  Weymouth.  During  the  time  the 
passengers  and  crew  remained  in  the  tops  she  appeared: 
tql^rvesuxik  eight  feet,  and  was  considerably  lower  in 
the  morning ;  it  was  therefore  conjectured,  that  she  had 
sunk  on  a  mud-bank.  The  Greyhound  cutter  was  im- 
mediately stationed  to  guard  the  wreck,  and  the  boats 
froni  the  Rover  succeeded  in  stripping  the  masts  of  tlie 
rigging.  On  the  7th  her  decks  had  not  been  blown  up, 
and  fi&  appeajred  to  remain  in  ej;:act]y  the^  fame  state  in 
which  she  had  simk.  Her  sinking  so  steadily  is  attri- 
buted to  the  gv  >at  weight  of  bar  cargo,  her  floorings.c^n-^ 
sisting  chiefiy  of  earthern  Wareir  The.  cargo  of  the  G^p 
was  estimated  at  two  hundred  tliousc^d  pounds,  besides 


LOSS  OP  TBll  lARL  OF  ABBROAYBNNT. 


289 


an 


which  she  had  on  hoard  dollars  to  the  amount  of  two  hun- 
dred and  seventy-five  thousand  ounces,  and  is  supposed 
to  have  been  one  of  the  richest  ships  that  ever  sailed  for 
India.  She  was  of  the  largest  tonnage,  and  inferior  only 
to  the  Ganges  in  the  service,  being  at  least  fifteen  hun- 
dred tons  burthenii  and  bujlt for  the  Chin^tradf •  ,>^. .  r 

About  eighty  officers  and  seamen  wer^  saved,  eieVen 
passehgeisB,  fifteen  Chinese,  five  outoftbiriv'-t Wo  cadets 
and  forty-five  recruits  The  eaptain  was  drowned.  He 
was  npphew  to  captain  Wadsworth,  who  formerly  com- 
mf)||df4  the  Kariof  Abcatgeuvenny,  and  waa  omisideiidd 
op^  Qf,  the  firjst  navigatora  in  ^e  service.  He  was  on 
his  third  voyage  as  captain,  and,  painful  to  relate,  pa- 
rished  with  his  sjhip,  disdaining  to  survive  the  loss  off  8» 
valuable  a  charge :  his  conduct  throughout  the  distr^asr . 
ing  scene,  has  been  spoken  of  in  terms  of  the  highest 
praise.  It  is  an  extraordinary  fact  that  he  felt  such  an 
unaccountable  depression  of  spirits,  that  he  could  not  be 
persuaded  to  go  through  the  usual  ceremony  oi  taking 
leave  of  the  court  of  directors  on  the  day  appointed ;  and 
it  was  not  till  the  Wednesday  following,  which  was  8pc>* 
cially^  fixed  for  that  purpose,  that  he  yielded  to  the  wishes 
of  his  friends,  and  reluctantly  attended  the  court !  He 
was  a  man  of  remarkably  mild  manners ;  his  condnct 
was,  in  every  instance,  so  well  tempered,  thati  he  was/ 
known  among  his  shipmates,  by  the  title  <^  "  the  Phi^ : 
losopher."  As  sooii  as  the  ship  was  going  down,  Mr. 
Baggot,  the  chief  officer,  went  on  the  quarter  deck,  and 
told  him,  ''that  all  exertions  were  now  in  vain;  the 
ship  was  rapidly  sinking."  Captain  Wadsworth,  who, 
no  doubt,  expected  it,  steadfastly  looked  him  in  the 
face,  and,  at  last,  with  every  appearance  of  a  heart-bro- 
ken man^aintly  answered :  "  Let  her  go  !  God's  vrili  be 
done."  These  were  the  last  words  he  uttered;  from  that 
instant  he  was  motionless.  In  a  few  moments  the  ship 
sank,  and  nasujkK  who  were  climbing  the  shrouds  endea* 
vorea  to  save  l^jn,  but  without  success.  In  this  endear 
vor  Mr.  Gilpin  was  foremost,  and  made  several  unsutt»t^ 
ceff  fiij  i^tej?ftp|Sj,  at  tjie^eyideftl  risjfi  of  his  own  life,     * .  m 


^:3fe- 


i  I  iiifi'<mttiji<i  i.t^Mi.. 


.:|g|§ 


.■•i'A.mmjki»mm''M'>  #3***  jswf  ;#> «' 


LOSS  W  THE   CATHARINE,   VENUS  AND  '*' 
^  PIEDMONT  TRANSPORTS ;  AND  THREE     u, 

*b    .    u»    .      MERCHANT  SHIPS.  c     -  '^' 

The  miteries  of  war  are  in  themselves  great  and  ter- 
rihle,  bnt  the  consequences  which  arise  indirectly  from  it 
though  seldcnn  known  and  little  adverted  to,  are  no  less 
deplorable.  The  destruction  of  the  sword  sometimes 
bears  cmly  an  .inconsiderable  proportion  to  the  havoc  of 
disease,  and,  in  the  pestilential  climates  of  the  western 
colonies,  entire  regimer^ts,  reared  in  succession,  have  as 
often  fallen  victims  to  their  baneful  influence. 

To  prosecute  the  war  with -alacrity,  it  had  been  judged 
expedient  to  transport  a  strong  body  of  troops  on  foreign 
service,  but  their  departure  was  delayed  by  repeated  ad- 
versities, and  at  length  the  catastrophe  which  is  ^bout  to 
be  related  ensued. 

On  the  I5th  of  November,  1796,  the  fleet,  under  con- 
voy of  Admiral  Christian's  squadron,  sailed  from  St. 
Hdien's.  A  more  beautiful  sight  than  it  exhibited  can- 
not be  conceived ;  and  those  who  had  nothing  to  lament 
ih  leaving  their  native  country,  enjoyed  the  spectacle 
as  the  most  magnificent  produced  by  the  art  of  man,  and 
as  that  which  the  natives  of  this  island  contemplate  with 
mingled  pride  and  pleasure. 

Next  day,  the  wind  continued  favorable^  carried  the 
fleet  down  the  channel ;  and  as  the  Catharine  transport 
came  within  sight  ci  ihe  isle  of  Perbeck,  Lieutenant 
Jenner,  an  officer  on  board,  pointed  out  to  another  per- 
son, the  rocks  where  the  Halsewell  and  M|many  unfor- 
tunate individuals  had  perished.  He  and  Comet  Bums, 
had  been  unable  to  reach  Southampton  until  the  Catha- 
rine had  sailed  therefore  they  hired  a  boy  to  overtake 
her;  and  on  embarking  at  St.  Helen's,  the  former  ex- 


L088  OF  TBBXB  MKROHANT  SHIPS. 


pressed  his  satisfacticm,  in  a  letter  to  his  mother,  that 
had  been  so  fortunate  as  to  do  so.  4*cns  >  an^i*  m-ii.ium^ 

On  Tuesday,  the  17th,  the  fleet  wa»  off  Portland,  stand-' 
ing  to  the  westward ;  but  the  wind  shifting  and  blowing 
a  strong  gale  at  south-south-west,  the  admiral,  dubious 
whether  they  could  clear  the  channel,  made  a  signal  for 
putting  into  Torbay,  which  some  of  the  transports  were 
then  in  sight  of    However,  they  could  not  make  the 
bay;  the  gale  increased,  and  a  thick  fog  came  on;  f  lere- 
fore  the  acuniral  thought  it  expedieht  to  alter  his  design, 
and  about  five  in  the  afternoon  made  a  signal  for  stand«^t> 
ing  out  to  sea.    Of  the  circumstances  relative  to  the 
Catharine,  a  more  detailed  account  has  been  preserved 
than  respecting  the  other  vessels  of  the  fleet ;  and  they 
are  preserved  by  a  female,  with  whose  name  we  are  un-^ 
acquainted,  in  these  words.  "* 

"  The  evening  of  the  17th  was  boisterous  and  threat- 
ening* the  master  said  he  was  apprehensive  that  we 
should  have  bad  weather ;  and  when  I  was  desired  to 
go  on  deck  and  look  at  the  appearance  of  the  sky,  I  ob*  I 
served  thaff  it  was  troubled  and  red,  with  great  heavy 
clouds  flying  in  all  directions,  and  with  a  sort  of  dull 
mist  surrounding  the  moon.  On  repeating  this  to  the 
other  passengers,  two  of  whom  had  been  at  sea  before, 
they  said  we  should  certainly  have  a  stormy  night,  and 
indeed  it  proved  so  very  tempestuous,  that  no  rest  was 
to  be  obtained.  Nobody,  however,  seemed  to  think  tt^at 
there  was  any  danger,  though  the  fog  was  so  thick  that 
tiie  master  could  see  nothing  by  which  to  direct  his 
course ;  but  he  thought  that  fa«  had  sufiicient  sea-room. 

'The  fatigue  I  had  sufiered  from  the  tossing  of  the 
ship,  and  the  violence  with  which  she  continued  to  roll, 
had  kept  me  in  bed.  It  was  about  ten  o'clock  in  the  morn*  - 
ing  of  the  18thj  when  the  mate  looked  down  into  the 
cabin  and  cried,    *  save  yourselves  if  you  can.' 

'The  consteiilition  and  terroi  of  that  moment  cannot^' 
bo  described ;  t  had  on  a  loose  dressing  gown,  and  wrap-^i  ^ 
ping  it  round  me  I  went  up,  not  quite  on  deck,  but  to  the^ 
top  of  the  stairs,  from  whence  I  saw  the  soa  break  moun-'^ 
tain  high  against  the  shore.    The  passengers  and  soldiem^^ 


«( 


:i'Ei^'i-"-A..£Hx^L\j-.'.  '. 


:    -L\-  -'    >]LU4;i)^'ul,> 


•anMHwai^ 


lIMABK^VIiB.  BmWWBKCn.    '^' ) 


'^iMimed,  thMttdeii  itnick  by  th«  aenae  o€  immediate  kA 
inevitable  danger,  and  the  seam^i,  too  conscious  <^  thft* 
hopoIessnesH  oC  any  exertioOf  stood;  in  speechles«  agcMy, 
certain  of  oieeting  in  a  fewr  momenta  that  destruction 
whichi  now  menaced  them^ 

' Wiliile  I  thus <  surveyed  the  scene  around  me:  in  a .  kind 
of  dread  W|hioh  no  words  can  figure,  Mr.  BUrnS)  em  offi- 
cer^ of  diri^ooBfl,.  who  had  cquio  up  in  hi»  shiri)  called  to 
Mf4  Jtonerand  jMc.  Stains  for  his  cloaJc;  nobody,  how* 
ever^  could  attoid;  to  auy  Uiing  in  such  a  moment  but 
self  preservation. 

'Mr.  Jemwr^  Mr.  Stain»  andMr.  Dodd  the  surgecHi,  now 
passed  m»y  their  countenances  sufficiently  expressing 
their  sense  of  the  situation  in  which  we  all  were.  Mr. 
-  Burns  spo^e  KsheerfuUy  to  me ;  he  bade  me  take  good 
courage,  and  Mr.  Jenner  observed,  there  was  a  ^oodr 
shore  neary  and  all  would  do  well.  fw^  tnff  '♦^ 

'These  gentlemen:  then  went  to  the  side  of  the  ship^ 
with  the  intention,  h  believe,  of  seeing  whether  it  waS' 
possible  to  get  on  shore;  The  masterof  the  vessel  alone 
remained  near  the  companion;  when  sudd^ly  a  tre- 
mctr^dous  wave  broke  over  the  ship,  and  struck  me  with 
such  violence,  Uiat  I  was  stunned  for  a  moment,  andj 
before  being  able  to  recover  myself,  the  ship  struck  with 
a  force  so  great  as  to  throw  me  from  the  stairs  into  the 
cabin,  the  master  being  thrown  down  near  me.  At  the 
same  instant,  the  cabin,  with  a  dread^'ul  crash,  broke 
in  upon  us,  and  planks  and  beams  threatened  to  bury  us 
in  ruins.  The  master,  however,  soon  recovered  himself,  - 
he  left  me  to  go  again  upon  t    ^k,  and  I  saw  him  no  more. 

A  sense  of  my  condition  lent  me  strength  to  disengage 
myself  from  the  bjards  and  fragments  by  which  I  was 
surrounded,  and  I  once  more  got  upon  the  stairs,  I  hardly 
know  how.  But  what  a  scene  did  I  bdiold !  The  masts 
were  all  lying  across  the  shattered  remains  of  the  deck, 
and  no  living  creature  appeared  on  it;if^l  was  gone, 
though  t  knew  iiot  then  that  they  were  gokie  forever.  I 
lo(^e4;fo?wafd  to  the  shore,  but  there  I  could  see  nothing 
exce{4it}^:;droa4ful  suiff  that  broke  against  it,  while  ber 
hind^ti^  sbip»  iBHneBs^  black  waves  rose  like  tremendous 


;   ^- 


•W 


LOSS  OF  TBRBB  MBROHAMT  fBIPS. 


m 


f'^nx. 


imtis.     I  knew  ttiat  they  must  oyerwhelm  her,  aad* 
•hought  that  there  could  be  no  escape  for  me. 

Believing,  then,  that  death  was  immediate  and  una- 
voidable, my  idea  was  to  regain  my  bed  in  the  cabin, 
and  there,  resigning  myself  to  the  will  of  God,  await 
the  approaching  moment.  However,  I  could  not  reach 
it,  and  for  awhile  was  insensible ;  then  the  violent  strik- 
ing and  breaking  up  of  the  wreck  again  roused  me  to  re- 
collection ;  I  found  myself  near  the  cabin  windows,  and 
the  water  was  rising  around  me.  It  rapidly  increased, 
and  the  horrors  of  drowning  were  present  to  my  view ; 
yet  do  I  remember  seeing  the  furniture  of  the  cabin  float 
about.  I  sat  almost  enclosed  by  pieces  of  the  wreck,  and 
the  water  now  reached  my  breast.  ~  ^ 

The  bruises  I  had  received  made  every  exertion  ex- 
tremely difficult,  and  my  loose  gown  was  so  entangled 
among  the  beams  and  fragments  of  the  ship,  that  I  could 
not  disengage  it.  Still  the  desire  of  life,  the  hope  of  be- 
ing welcomed  on  shore,  whither  I  thought  my  friends 
had  escaped,  and  the  remembrance  of  my  child,  all  united 
in  inspiring  me  with  courage  to  attempt  saving  myself. 
I  again  tried  to  loosen  my  gown,  but  found  it  impossible, 
and  the  wreck  continued  to  strike  so  violently,  and  the 
ruins  to  close  so  much  more  around  me,  that  I  now  ex- 
pected to  be  crushed  to  death.  As  the  ship  drifted  higher 
on  the  stones,  the  water  rather  lessened  as  the  waves  went 
back,  but  on  their  return,  continued  to  cover  me,  and  I 
once  or  twice  lost  my  breath,  and  for  a  moment,  my  re- 
collection. When  I  had  power  to  think,  the  principle  of 
selfpreservation  still  urged  me  to  exertion. 

The  cabiil  now  broke  more  and  more,  and  through  a 
large  breach  I  saw  the  shore  very  near.  Amidst  the  tu- 
mult of  the  raging  waves  I  had  a  glimpse  of  the  people, 
who  were  gathering  up  what  the  sea  drove  towards  them: 
but  I  thought  they  could  not  see  me,  and  from  them  I 
despaired  of  assistance.— Therefore  I  determined  to  make 
one  effort  to  preserve  my  life.  I  disengaged  my  arms 
from  the  dressing  gown,  and.  finding  myself  able  to  move, 
I  quitted  the  wreck,  and  feL  myself  on  the  ground.  I 
attempted  to  rmt,  but  was  too  feeble  to  save  myself  from 
20* 


i^jKi-^Airl.^^-i^&.- 


m 


RIMABKABLB  SHIPWBIOIU.    ^i»XK( 


,9l  raging  wave,  which  overtook  and  overwhelmed  me. 
Then  I  believed  myself  gcn^ ;  yet,  half  suffocated  ^is  | 
was,  I  struggled  very  much, .  and  I  remember  that  I 
thought  I  was  very  long  dying.  The  waves  left  me ;  I 
breaUied  again,  and  made  another  attempt  to  get  higher 
upon  the  bank,  but,  quite  exhausted,  I  fell  down  and  my 
senses  forsook  me. 

By  this  time  I  was  observed  by  some  of  the  people  on  the 
bank,  and  two  men  came  to  my  assistance.  They  lifted 
me  up;  I  once  more  recovered  some  faint  recollection: 
and,  as  they  bore  me  along,  I  was  sensible  that  one  or 
them  said  the  sea  would  overtake  us ;  that  he  must  let 
me  go  and  take  care  of  his  own  life.  I  only  remember 
clinging  to  the  other  and  imploring  him  not  to  abandon 
me  to  the  merciless  waves.  But  I  have  a  very  confused 
idea  of  what  passed,  till  I  saw  the  boat,  into  which  I  was 
to  be  put  to  cross  the  Fleet  water;  I  had  then  just 
strength  to  say,  for  God's  sake  do  not  take  me  to  sea  again. 

I  balieve  the  apprehension  of  it,  added  to  my  other  suf- 
ferings, tended  to  aeprive  me  of  all  further  sensibility,  for 
I  have  not  the  least  recollection  of  any  thing  afterwards 
until  roused  by  the  remedies  applied  to  restore  me  in  a 
farmhouse  whither  I  was  carried.  There  I  heard  a  num- 
ber of  women  around  me,  who  asked  a  great  number  of 
questions  which  I  was  unable  to  answer.  I  remember 
hearing  one  say  I  was  a  French  woman ;  another  say 
that  I  was  a  negro,  and  indeed  I  was  so  bruised,  and  in 
such  a  disfigured  condition,  that  the  conjectures  of  these 
people  arc  not  surprisin'». 

*  W  hen  recovering  some  degree  oi  confused  recollection, 
and  able  to  speak,  1  begged  that  they  would  allow  me  to 
go  to  bed.  This,  however.  I  did  not  ask  with  any  ex- 
pectation of  life,  for  I  was  now  in  such  a  state  of  suffer- 
mg,  that  my  only  wish  was  to  be  allowed  to  lie  down 
and  die  in  peace.    '"^'^'.^' ...^y^'l..^,,'  ■..uv^.-^V^.^a,  ,:A^',^^..,i>"V  -^  ■ 

'Nothing  could  exceed  the  humanity  of  Mr.  Abbot,  ttie 
inhabitant  of  Fleet-farm-house,  nor  the  Compassionate 
attention  of  his  sister.  Miss  Abbot,  who  not  only  afforded 
me  immediate  assistance^  but  continued  for  some  days 
to  attend  me  with  such  kindness  and  humanity,  that  I 


ah 

CO 

w 


-S  !  ' 


LOSS   OF  THBSB  MBROBANT  SHIPS. 


23» 


shall  always  remember  it  with  the  sincerest  gratitude." 
The  unK>rtunate  sufferer  who  gives  the  preceding  ac- 
count, was  tended  with  great  humanity  by  Mr.  Bryer, 
while  a  wound  in  lier  foot,  and  the  dangerous  bruises  she 
had  received,  prevented  her  from  quitti  ^.g  the  shelter  she 
first  found  under  the  roof  of  Mr.  Abbot,  at  Fleet    As 
suon  as  she  was  in  a  condition  to  be  removed  to  Wey- 
mouth, Mr.  Bryer,  a  surgeon  there,  received  her  into  his 
own  house,  where  Mrs.  Bryer  assisted  in  administering 
to  her  recovery  such  benevolent  offices  of  consolation  as 
her  deplorable  situation  admitted.     Meantime  the  gentle- 
men of  the  south  battalion  of  the  Gloucester  Militia,  who 
had  done  every  thing  possible  towards  the  preservation 
of  those  who  were  the  victims  of  the  tempest,  now  liber- 
ally contributed  to  alleviate  the  pecuniary  distresses  of 
the  survivors.    None  seemed  to  have  so  forcible  a  claim 
on  their  pity  as  this  forlorn  and  helpless  stranger ;  and 
she  alone,  of  forty  souls,  except  a  singl^  ship-boy,  sur- 
vived the  wreck  of  the  Catharine.      There  perished, 
twelve  seamen,  two  soldiers'  wives,  twenty-two  dragoons 
and  four  officers.  Lieutenant  Stains,  Mr.  Dodd  of  the 
hospital-staff.  Lieutenant  Jenner,  the  representative  of  an 
ancient  and  respectable  family  in  Gloucestershire,  aged 
thirty-one,  and  Comet  Bums,  the  son  of  an  American 
loyalist  of  considerable  property  who  was  deprived  of 
every  thing  for  his  adherence  to  the  British  government 
— Having  no  dependence  but  on  the  promises  of  govern- 
ment to  indenmify  those  who  had  suf^red  on  that  account 
he,  after  years  of  distress  and  difficulty,  obtaine*  ^  a  cor- 
netcy  in  the  26th  regiment  of  dragoons,  then  going  to  the 
West  Indies,  and  was  thus  lost  in  his  twenty-fourth  year. 
This  officer  had  intended  embarking  in  another  trans- 
port, and  actually  sent  his  horse  on  board,  when  finding 
the  Catharine  more  commodious,  he  gave  her  the,  prefer- 
ence, while  the  other  put  back  to  Spithead  in  safety. 
The  mangled  remains  of  Lieutenant  Jenner  were  two 
days  afterwards  found  on  the  beach  and  interred  witl^ 
military  honors. 

But  the  Catharine  was  not  the  only  vessel  which  suf- 
fered in  the  tempest.  Those,  who  on  shore  had  listened 
to  it  raging  on  the  preceding  evening,  could  not  avoid 


iiteiitABLifi  smptirRSdtB. 


-.>■'>.  I 


I '   ♦ 


\  i'   ■. 


»• 


fe^^^ng  the  most  lively  alarm  for  the  consequences; 
and  early  in  the  morning  on  the  18th  of  November,  seve- 
ral pilots  and  other  persons  assembled  on  the  promontory 
called  the'  Look-out  at  Weymouth.  Thence  they  too 
evidently  discovered  the  distress  and  danger  of  many  <f( 
the  transports. 

Soon  after,  a  lieutenant  of  the  navy,  residing  at  Wey- 
mouth, applied  to  the  major  of  a  militia  regiment,  for  a 
guard  io  m  seilt  to  the  Chisell  Bank,  as  a  large  ship, 
supposed  to  be  a  frigate,  was  on  shore.  This  was  im- 
mediately granted,  and  the  major  himself  marched  along 
with  a  captain's  guard. 

The  violence  of  the  wind  was  so  great,  that  the  party 
could  with  difficulty  reach  the  pi.ace  of  their  destination. 
There  they  found  a  large  merchantman,  the  iEolus,  la- 
den with  tiniber  for  government,  on  shore.  Lieutenant 
Mason  of  the  navy,  and  his  brother,  a  midshipman,  pe- 
rished in  her,  and  a  number  of  men  who  would  probably 
bare  been  saved  had  they  understood  the  signals  from 
shore.  The  men  of  Portland,  who  crowded  down  to  the 
scene  of  desolation,  meant  to  express,  bjr  throwing  small 
pebbles  at  them,  that  they  should  remain  on  board,  (to 
make  them  hear  was  impossible,)  because  they  foresaw 
the  ship  would  drive  high  on  the  bank.  Should  that  be 
the  case,  they  might  soon  leave  her  without  hazard ;  and 
accordingly  those  who  continued  on  board  were  saved, 
though  many  of  them  were  dreadfully  bruised. 
*'■  Not  far  from  the  same  place,  the  Golden  Grove,  ano- 
ther merchantman,  was  stranded,  and  in  her  Dr.  Stevens 
and  Mr.  Burrows  of  St.  Kits,  were  lost. 

Lieutenant  colonel  Ross,  who  was  also  there,  escaped 
on  shore.  These  two  vessels  had  struck  against  a  part 
of  tf-e  Passage-house,  almost  on  the  same  spot  where  a 
Freuch  frigate,  the  Zenobia,  had  gone  to  pieces  in  1763. 

Biut  the  scene  of  distress  was  infinitely  greater  about 
four  miles  to  the  westward,  where,  as  already  related, 
the  Catharine  was  wrecked.  Along  with  her,  nearly  op- 
posite to  the  villages  of  Fleet  and  Chickerell,  the  Pie  l- 
mont  and  Yenus,  two  transports,  and  soon  after,  the 
^hosBMf  a  merchantmi^,  f4iared  the  saine  fate. 


J  •  ii'"' 


LOSS  09  THBIB  MBROHANT  SHIPS. 


8dt 


ano- 


5T  *■ 


One  hundred  and  thirty-eisht  .oldiers  of  the  63d  r<$gi- 
ment,  under  the  command  of  captain  Barcroft,  were  on 
board  the  Piedmont ;  also  heutenant  Ajh,  and  Mr.  KftWy, 
surgeon  of  the  same  regiment.  Of  all  these,  only  I'er- 
^ant  Richardson,  eleven  privates,  and  four  seamen, 
survived  the  catastrophe ;  all  the  rest  perished. 

Captain  Barcroft's  life  had  been  passed  in  the  service 
While  yet  a  very  young  man,  he  served  in  America  dur- 
ing the  war  between  England  and  her  colonies ;  and  be* 
iiig  then  taken  prisoner,  was  severely  treated.  On  com- 
mencement of  the  war  which  has  so  many  years  deso- 
lated Euiope,  he  raised  a  company  in  his  native  country, 
and  served  with  it  on  the  Coriicinent  during  the  campaign 
of  1794.  Under  a  heavy  iare  of  the  enemy,  he  was  one 
of  the  last  men  who  retreated  vith  it  along  a  single 
plank,  knee-deep  in  water,  from  the  seige  of  Nimeguen. 
In  a  few  months  after  the  disastrous  retreat  on  the  Con- 
tinent, in  the  winter  1794,  he  was  ordered  to  the  West 
Indies,  and,  in  the  outset  of  his  voyage,  perished  in  the 
tempest. 

Of  the  few  who  reached  the  shore  from  the  Piedmont, 
there  was  scarce  one  who  was  not  dreadfully  bruised, 
and  some  had  their  limbs  broken.  An  unfortunate  vete- 
ran of  the  63d,  though  his  leg  was  shockingly  fractured, 
had  sufficient  res^olution  to  creep  for  shelter  under  a  fish- 
ing boat  which  lay  inverted  on  the  further  side  of  the 
bank.  There  his  groans  were  unheard  until  a  young 
gentleman,  Mr.  Smith,  a  passenger  in  the  Thomas, 
who.  had  himself  been  wrecked,  and  was  now  wan- 
dering along  the  shore,  discovered  him.  In  this  ship, 
the  Thomas,  bound  to  Oporto,  the  mastt  c,  Mr.  Brown, 
his  son,  and  all  the  crew,  except  the  mate,  three  seamen, 
and  Mr.  Smith,  were  lost.  The  last  was  on  his  way  to 
Lisbon ;  but  his  preservation  was  chiefly  in  consequence 
of  his  remaining  on  board  after  all  the  rest  had  left  the 
ship,  or  were  washed  away  by  the  waves.  She  had 
then  drifted  high  on  the  bank,  when  he  leaped  out  of 
her  ai:d  reached  the  ground. 

»  Though  weak  and  encumbered  by  his  wet  clothes,  he 
gained  ti^e  opposite  side  of  the  bank,  but  on  gazing  on 


.f,4,  BBMAmiABLB  BHIPWKIOKf. 


I  . 


the  dreary  beach  around  him,  he  considered  himself  ca8t 
away  on  an  uninhabited  coast.  At  length  he  observed 
a  fishing  boat,  and  approaching  it^  heard  the  groans  of 
the  unfortunate  old  soldier,  whom  he  attempted  to  re- 
lieve. But  alone  he  found  himself  unable  to  fulfil  his 
intention,  and  it  was  a  considerable  time  before  he  ob- 
served any  means  of  assistance  near.  At  last,  perceiv- 
ing a  man  at  some  distance,  he  hastened  to  him,  easerly 
inquiring  whether  a  surgeon  could  be  procured  for  a 

Cr  creature  with  a  broken  limb,  who  lay  under  the 
t.  Probably  the  man  showed  little  alacrity,  for  Mr. 
Smith  found  it  necessary  to  purchase  his  good  offices  by 
a  gift  of  half  a  guinea,  which  he  imagined  would  induce 
Jhim  to  seek  what  was  so  much  required.  But  the  man 
pocketing  the  half-guinea  with  the  greatest  composure, 
said  he  wab  a  king's  officer,  and  must  see  what  bales  of 
goods  were  driven  on  shore;  then  telling  Mr.  Smith 
there  was  a  ferry  about  four  miles  off,  by  which  he 
might  get  to  Weymouth.  The  youth  was  thus  disap- 
pointed of.  his  humane  design,  and  the  soldier  died  in 
that  deplorable  condition  before  any  other  aid  attained 
him. 

In  the  Thomas,  the  vessel  to  which  Mr.  Smith  belong- 
ed, he  witnessed  scenes  not  lese  distressing.  Mr.  Brown 
the  master  of  the  vessel,  was  carried  away  by  an  im- 
mense wave  just  as  he  was  stripping  off  his  clothes  to 
endeavor  to  save  himself.  His  son  exclaiming,  ''Oh 
my  father !  my  poor  father  !"  instantly  followed.  The 
bodies  of  both  were  afterwards  found  and  interred  at 
Wvke. 

Of  ninety-six  persons  on  board  the  Venus,  only  Mr. 
John  Darley  of  the  hospital  staff,  sergeant-major  Heame, 
twelve  soldiers,  four  seamen  and  a  boy  were  saved.  Mr. 
Darley  escaped  by  throwing  himself  from  the  wreck  at  a 
moment  when  it  drifted  high  on  the  stones ;  he  reached 
them  without  broken  limbs,  but,  overtaken  by  the  furious 
sea,  he  was  carried  back,  not  so  far,  however,  that  he 
was  incapable  of  regaining  the  ground.  Notwithstand- 
ing the  weight  of  his  clothes  and  his  exhausted  state,  he 
got  to  Ihe  top  of  the  bank,  but  there  the  power  of  farther 


LOM  OP  TmSB  MSROHANT  8HIP8. 


239 


lyMr. 
earne, 
Mr. 
k  at  a 
ached 


exertion  failed,  and  he  fell.  While  lying  in  this  situa- 
tion, trying  to  recover  breath  and  strength,  a  great  many 
people  from  the  neighboring  villages  passed  him ;  they 
had  crossed  the  Fleet- water  in  the  hopes  of  sharing  the 
plunder  of  the  vessels  which  the  lower  inhabitants  of 
the  coast  are  too  much  accustomed  to  consider  their 
right. 

«Mr.  Darley  seems  to  have  been  so  far  from  meeting 
with  assistance  from  those  who  were  plundering  the 
dead,  without  thinking  of  the  living,  that  although  he 
saw  many  boats  passing  and  repassing  the  Fleet- water, 
he  found  great  difficulty  in  procuyng  a  passage  for  him- 
self and  two  or  throe  fellow-sufferers  who  had  now  joined 
him.  But  having  passed  it  he  soon  met  with  Mr.  Bryer, 
to  whose  active  humanity  all  the  sufferers  were  emi- 
nently indebted. 

Before  the  full  extent  of  this  dreadful  calamity  was 
known  at  Weymouth,  the  officers  of  the  South  Glouces- 
ter Militia,  with  equal  humanity,  were  devising  how 
they  might  best  succor  the  survivors,  and  perform  the 
last  duties  to  the  remains  of  those  who  had  perished. 
On  the  morning  of  the  19  a  of  November,  one  of  them, 
accompanied  by  Mr.  Br]  er  of  Weymouth,  rode  to  the 
villages  where  those  who  had  escaped  from  the  various 
wrecks  had  found  a  temporary  shelter.  In  a  house  at 
Chickerell,  they  found*  sergeant  Richardson  and  eleven 
privates  of  the  63d  regiment ;  two  of  the  latter  had  frac- 
tured limbs,  and  almost  all  the  rest  either  wounds  or 
bruises.  In  other  houses  the  sufferers  had  been  receiv^ 
and  were  as  comfortably  accommodated  as  circumstances 
would  admit. 

l^he  gentlemen  then  crossed  the  Fleet-water  to  the 
beach,  and  there,  whatever  idea  was  prev^usly  formed 
of  it,  the  horror  of  the  scene  infinitely  surpassed  expec- 
tation ;  no  celebrated  field  of  carnage  ever  presented,  in 
proportion  to  its  size,  a  more  awful  sight  than  the  Chisell 
Bank  now  exhibited.  ^  For  about  two  miles  it  was  strew- 
ed with  the  dead  bodies  of  men  and  animals,  with  pieces 
of  wreck  and  piles  of  plundered  goods,  which  groups  of 
people  were  carrying  away,  regardless  of  the  sight  of 


•     ^ 


840 


IIMAEKABLB  SHirWBBOEl. 


M» 


^f 


drowned  bodies  that  filled  the  new  apectatora  with  sofn 
row  and  amazement. 

,  On  the  mansled  remains  of  the  unfortunate  victims, 
death  appearca  in  all  its  hideous  forms.  Either  the  sea 
or  the  people  who  had  first  gone  down  to  tlie  shore,  had 
stripped  the  bodies  of  the  clothes  which  the  sufiisrers  had 
wore  at  the  fatal  moment.  The  remnants  of  the  military 
stock,  the  wristbands,  or  collar  of  a  shirt,  or  a  piece  of 
bluQ  pantaloons,  were  all  the  fragments  left  behind. 

The  only  moans  of  distinguishinff  the  officers  was  the 
difierent  appearance  of  their  hands  from  those  of  men  aic- 
customed  to  hard  labor ;  but  some  were  known  by  the 
description  given  of  them  by  their  friends  or  by  persons 
who  were  in  the  vessels  along  with  them.  The  remains 
of  captain  Barcroft  were  recognised  by  the  honorable  scars 
he  had  received  in  the  service  of  his  country ;  and  his 
friend's  and  relatives,  as  well  as  those  of  several  others 
had  the  satisfaction  of  learning  that  their  bodies  were 
rescued  from  the  sea,  and  interred  with  military  honors. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  the  20th  of  November,  a  lieu- 
tenant of  the  militia  regiment  who  had  been  appointed 
to  superintend  the  melancholy  office  of  interment,  re- 
paired to  the  scene  of  destruction.  But  from  the  neces- 
sary preliminaries  of  obtaining  the  authority  of  a  maffis-, 
trate  to  remove  the  bodies,  not  more  than  twenty-five 
were  buried  that  day.  The  bodies  of  captain  Barcroft, 
lieutenant  Sutherland,  Cornet  Graydon,  lieutenant  Ker 
and  two  women,  were  then  selected  to  be  put  into  coffins. 
I^ext  day,  those  of  lieutenant  Jenner  and  Cornet  Bums, 
being  found,  were  distinguished  in  the  like  manner. 

The  whole  number  of  dead  found  on  the  beach, 
amounted  to  two  hundred  and  thirty-four ;  so  that  the 
duty  of  intennent  was  so  heavy  and  fatiguing,  that  it 
was  not  until  the  twenty-third  that  all  the  soldiers  and 
sailors  were  deposited.  Of  these  there  were  two  hun- 
dred and  eight,  and  they  were  committed  to  the  earth  as 
decently  as  circumstances  would  admit,  in  graves  dug 
on  the  Fleet  side  of  the  beach,  beyond  the  reach  of  the 
sea,  where  a  pile  of  stones  was  raised  on  each,  to  mark 
where  they  lay.    ')^welve  co%i8  T^eie  pen^  t^  re^^irj) 


LOM  OP  THREE  MIROHAlfT  SUPS. 


841 


has 

dug 

the 

ark 

■eive 


the  bodies  of  the  women,  but  niiM  only  being  found,  the 
■upernumerary  ones  were  appointed  to  receive  the  i^ 
mains  of  the  officers.  i^, 

Two  wagons  were  next  sent  to  the  Fleet-water  to  re- 
CMire  the  coffins,  in  which  the  shrouded  lx)dies  of  seven- 
^n  officers  and  nine  women  had  been  placed,  and  on 
this  24th  were  carried  U>  the  ohuroh-jard  at  W/ke,  pre 
ebded  by  a  captain,  subaltern  and  fifty  men  of  the  Glou- 
cester Militia,  and  attended  by  thu  young  gentleman  be- 
fore mentioned,  Mr.  Smith,  as  chief  mourner.  The  offi- 
cers were  interred  in  a  large  grave,  north  ol  the  church- 
tower,  with  military  honors,  and  lieuten.^nt  Ke  in  a 
grave  bii  the  odier  side  of  the  tower.  The  rem:  i  is  of 
the  nine  women,  which  had  been  deposited  in  th  u  f.hurch 
during  the  ceremony.  Were  next  committ  .^  to  the  earth 

Two  monuments  have  been  erected  a  lommeroora- 
tion  of  the  unfoirtunatc  sufferers,  the  fiist  bearing  the 
following  inscription : — 

"  To  ttie  memory  of  Captain  Ambrose  William  Bar- 
croft,  Lieutenant  Harry  Ash,  and  Mr.  Kelly,  surgeon  of 
the  63d  regiment  of  Light  Infantry ;  of  I  .ieittenant  Ste- 

ghen  Jenner,  of  the  6th  West-tndia  regiment ;  LieutetiaDt 
tains  of  the  2d  West  India  regiment;  and  two  hundr(^d 
and  fifteen  s6)diers  and  seamen  and  nine  women,  who 
perished  by  shipwreck  on  Portland  Beach,  opposite  the 
villages  or  Langton,  Fleet,  and  Chickerell,  on  Wednes- 
day the  18th  day  of  Novembe     1795."  v   <  <  * 

On  the  second  monument  it)  i^voribed,     •    '^^'4^  '^  ';± 

"  Sacred  to  the  memory  of  Major  John  Cnarles  itl^t. 
Military  Commandant  of  Hospitals  in  the  Leewafd 
[slands,  and  to  that  of  his  son,  Lieutenant  James  Ker, 
of  the  40th  regiment  of  foot,  who  both  departed  this  life 
on  the  18th  of  November,  1796,  the  first  aged  forty  and 
the  latter  fourteen  years.'* 

The  fate  of  both  was  truly  deplorable,  and  is  a  me- 
lancholy example  of  the  uncertainty  of  human  atfairs. 

They  were  embarked  in  the  Venus  transport,  and  left 
Portsmouth  the  16th  of  November,  with  a  fleet  full  of 
trpops,  destinied  to  the  West  Indies,  undeir  the  commap^ 
of  General  Sir  Ralph  Abei^crombie. 


J 

I 


*r 


I4i 


Ml     BBMABKABLI  SmFWRBCKSk  A 


'  'A  Storm  baying  arisen  on  the  17th  which  lasted  till 
ike  next  day,  many  of  the  ships  were  lost,  and  the  Yei^uf 
wrecked  on  Portland  Beach.  •'  '^c  -'!••*■  sn 

-ofThe  major's  hody  could  not  he  found,  although  it  is 
possible  it  may  have  been  among  the  many  othersi  whigh 
were  driven  ashore  and  buried  in  this  church-yaM.  i  • 
His  son'i  corpse  was  recognised  and  hes  interred  undtfr 
this  stone,  which  was  rais^  by  his  brother,  JofanisWi^ 
Uam  Ker,  Esq.    Hi^y^  -Hiii,  .4J  'hi!fbii.;fiiiii'\M*:i  ,;'ti;a|M  7-tS^a^j 


•f^ 


U>  WRECK  OF  THE  BRITISH  SHIP  SIDNEY,  tg 

'jI^I!^-'^:,  On  a  reef  of  rocks  in  the  South  SedJ  ,.:%4jj^ 


m  Sidney  I/sft  Port  Jackson,  on  the  coast  of  New  Hol- 
land, on  the  12th  of  April,  1806,  bound  to  Bengal.  In- 
tending to  proceed  through  Pampier's  Straits,  her  course 
was  directed  as  nearly  as  possible  in  the  track  cf  Captain 
Hpgan,  of  the  Comwatfis,  which,  as  laid  down  ii^  the 
charts,  appeared  a  safe  and  easy  passage.  But,  on  the 
20th  of  May,  at  one,  A.  M.,  we  ran  upon  a  most  danger- 
ous rock,  or  shoal,  in  3  20  south  latitude,  and  146  50  east 
Icmgitude,  and  as  this  reef  is  not  noticed  in  any  map  or 
chart,  it  appears  that  we.we^ej  its  u^tbrti^i^te  4^sca^- 
erers.'  :  '"'  ''V'    ''  '  ■    "  '  '.'  ' .  '..    .  V 

On  Sunday,  25  fathoms  of  water  w:ere  found  oyer 
the  taffrail,  and  six  fathoms  over  the  larboard  gang- 
way ;  only  nine  feet  on  the  starboard  side,  and  12  feet 
over  the  bows.  One  of  the  boats  was  immediately  got 
out  with  a  bower-anchor ;  but  on  sounding,  at  the  dis- 
tance of  ten  fathoms  from  the  ship,  no  ground  could  be 
found  with  sixty  fathoms  of  line. 

When  she  struck  it  must  have  been  high  water,  fw  at 
that  time  there  was  no  appearance  of  any  reef  pr  breaker: 
but  as  the  water  subsided,  the  shoal  began  to  show  itself, 
with  a  number  of  small  black  rocks.  The  ship  had 
been  striking  ve^  hard!,  and  began  to  yi^ld  forward.—- 
At  three,  A.  M.'  there  werq  six  fJBei  water  in  the  holi 


mi"' 


WRECK  OF  TBI  KlITIttl  SHIP  SiDNBT. 


243 


Ivs- 


^dmcreasfing  rapidly ;  at  five^  die  vessel  was  settling, 
aft,  and  her  top-sides  parting  from  the  iloor-'heads^ii'  ^i 

Upon  consultation  with  my  officers,  it  was  our  unani- 
mous opinion  that  the  ship  was  gone  beyond  recovery, 
lihd  Ihat  no  exertions  could  aTltu  for  her  safety.  We 
therefore  employed  all  hands  in  getting  the  boats  ready 
to  receiye  the  crew,  who  weie  106  in  number.  Eight 
bags  of  rice,  six  casks  of  water,  rjtid  a  spnall  quantity  of 
salted  beef  and  pork,  were  put  into  the  long^-boat  as  pro- 
visions for  the  whole ;  the  number  of  the  people  prevented 
us  from  taking  a  larger  stock,  as  the  thiee  boats  were 
barely  sufficient  to  receive  us  all  with  safety. 

We  remained  with  tie  Sidney  until  five,  P.  M.  on  the 
twenty-first  of  May,  when  there  werc^  diree  feet  of  water 
on  the  orlop-deck;  therefore  we  now  thought  it  full  time 
to  leave  the  ship  to  her  fate,  and  seek  bur  safety  in  the 
boats.  Accordingly,  I  embarked  in  the  lorig-^boat  with 
Mr.  Trounce,  second  officer,  and  seventy-four  Lascars ; 
Mr.  Robson  and  Mr.  Halkart,  with  sixteen  Lascars,  were 
in  the  cutter,  and  the  jolly-boat  wai  allotted  to  fifteen 
Dutch  Malays,  and  bne  Sepoy. 

Being  desirous  to  ascertain  the  position  of  the  reef; 
which  could  be  done  by  making  the  Admiralty  Islands, 
our  course  was  shaped  thither,  steering  north  by  east 
and  half  east.  During  the  night,  it  blew  fresh^  ttnd  the 
long-boat  hq.ving  niade  much  water,  we  were  obliged  to 
lighten  her,  by  throwing  a  great  deal  of  lumber,  ai^d  two 
casks  of  water,  overboard.  The  three  boats  kept  close 
in  company,  the  long-boat  having  the  jolly-boat  in  tow. 

Finding,  at  day-light,  that  the  cutter  sailed  cohsidera** 
bly  better,  I  directed  Mr.  Robson  that  the  jolly-boat 
might  be  taken  in  tow  by  her.  But  the  wind  increasing 
as  the  morning  advanced,  and  a  heavy  swell  rising,  the 
jolly-boat,  while  in  tow  by  the  cutter,  sank  at  ten  o'- 
clock, and  all  on  board,  to  the  number  o{  sixteen,  perish- 
ed. It  was  lamentable  to  witness  the  fate  of  tliese  un- 
happy men,  and  the  more  so,  as  it  was  not  in  our  power 
to  render  them  the  smallest  assistance. 

The  Admiralty  Islands  were  seen  at  noon  of  the  22d, 
beat^g  N,  N.  £«  three  ex  four  leagues  distant,  and  as  we 


'fM 


.i:r/  nmifkiBti  immwRiccKtt.  ^  ^^' 


had  Fun  abont  fifty-eiglkt  mites  in  the  boats,  upon  a  N.  by 
£.  half  E.  oouTise,  the  situation  of  the  shoal  where  the 
Sidney  struck  was  accurately  ascertained,  and  will  be 
fouiul  as  abov«  laid  do\^.  ^ 

From  the  Addiiralty  islands,  'we^ntinned  dtandingH 
the  westwiird,  and  s(m  the  ^h,  made  a  small  island,  6n 
which,  ijoin  ita  appeiairance,  I  was  induced  to  land  in 
queeri;  of  a  au|>ply  ^  water.  Therefore  Mr.  Robfiion,  my- 
self, and  twenty  oi  our  best  hands,  armed  with  heavy 
clubs,  brougl^t  from  New  Caledonia,  (our  firearms  being 
fendered  useleias  from  expdsure  to  the  rain)  landed 
through  a  high  surf^  to  the  utmost  astdnishment  of  th^ 
inhabitants. 

As  far  as'miglrt  be  judged,  they  had  never  before  seen 
people  ei  our  complexion.  The  men  were  tall  and  well 
made,  wearing'  their  hair  plaited  and  raised  above  the 
head ;  they  had  tio  resemblance  to  Malays  or  Oaffres  ;^^ 
and  excepting  tiheir  color;  which  was  of  a  light  copp^, 
they  had  the  finrm  and  features  of  Europeabt^.  Th^y 
were  entirely  nii^ked.  We  also  saw  a  riumbef  of  women, 
who  were  well  formed,  and  had  .jii*d  and  pleasing  fea- 
tures. 7     .  ■ 

We  were  received  on  the  beach  by  about  twenty  na- 
tives, who  immediately  supplied  each  of  us  with  a  cocoa- 
iuithi'We  succeeded  m  making  them  understand  that 
we  wanted  water,  on  which  they  made  signs  for  us  to 
accompany  them  to  the  interior  of  the  island ;  on  com- 
pUcmce,  alter  walking  about  a  mile,  they  conducted  us 
mto  a  tihick  jungle,  and,  as  their  number  was  quickly 
increa  ing,  I  judged  it  imprudent  to  proceed  further.' — 
Thus  returning  to  the  beach,  I  was  alarmed  to  find  that 
one  hundred  and  fifty,  or  more,  of  the  natives  had  assem- 
bled, armed  with  spears  eight  or  ten  feet  long.  One  of 
tiiem,  an  old  man  of  venerable  appearance,  and  who 
seemed  to  be  their  chief,  approached  and  threw  his 
spear  at  my  feet,  expressive,  as  I  understood,  of  his  wish 
that  we  should  part  with  our  clubs  in  like  manner.  Per- 
ceiving, at  this  time,  tliat  a  cro^^!^'!  of  women  had  got  hold 
of  the  stem-fast  of  the  cuttif;  ar^'  mere  endeavoring  to 
baul  her  on  shore  from  the  grupnf  J,  we  hastily  tried' to 


WRECK  OF  HBB  BBITI8H  SHIP  SIPNET. 


94ft 


be 


m 


gam  the  boat.  The  natives  followed  us  closely;  some  of 
theni  pointed  their  spears  at  us  as  we  retreated,  and 
some  were  thrown,  though  happily  without  effect ;  and 
to  us  they  seemed  to  be  very  inexpert  in  the  management 
•f  their  w^pons^  On  my  getting  into  the  water,  three 
or  four  of  the  natives  followed  me,  threatening  to  throw 
tlieir  spears,  and  when  I  was  within  reach  of  the  boat, 
one  of  them  made  a  thrust,  which  was  prevented  from 
taking  effect  by  Mr.  Robson,  who  warded  off  the  wea- 
pon. When  we  .had  got  into  the  boat,  and  were  putting 
off,  they  threw,  at  least,  two  hundred  spears,  none  of 
which  struck,  excepting  one,  which  gave  a  severe  wound 
to  my  cook,  entering  imn^ed^jgi^ly  above  the  jayr,.  and 
passing  through  his  mouthv^  i  >  ^ .  Hi  \2u*'^ '^f  fv<>?»>  f .» 

.i.  Havmg  escaped  this  perilous  adventure  we  pursued 
our  course,  and  got  as  far  as  Dampier's  Straits,  in  as  fa- 
vorable circumstances  as  our  situation  could  well  admit. 
But  the  Lascars,  now  being  within  reach  of  land,  became 
impatient  to  be  put  on  shore.  It  was  in  vain  that  I  ex- 
horted them  to  persevere  ;  they  would  not  listen  to  argu-^ 
m6i;t,  and  expressed  their  wish  rather  to  meet  with  im- 
mediate death  on  shore,  than  to  be  starved  to  death  in 
the  boats.  Yielding  to  their  importunity,  I  at  length  de- 
termined to  land  them  on  the  northwest  extremity  of  the 
island  of  Ccram,  from  whence  they  might  travel  to  Am- 
boyna  in  two  or  three  days.  Being  off  that  part  of  the 
island  on  the  ninth  of  June,  Mr.  Robson  volunteered  f  o 
land  a  portion  of  the  people  in  the  cutter,  to  return  to  tV:e 
long-boat,  and  the  cutter  to  be  then  given  up  to  such 
further  portion  of  the  crew  as  chose  to  join  the  party 
first  landed.  Accordingly  he  went  ashore  with  the  cut- 
ler, but  to  my  great  mortification,  after  waiting  two  days, 
there  was  no  appearance  of  his  return  or  of  the  cutter. 

We  concluded  that  the  people  had  been  detained  either 
by  the  Dutch  or  the  natives.  Yet  as  the  remaining  part 
of  the  Lascars  were  desirous  to  be  landed,  we  stood-in 
with  the  long-boat,  and  put  them  on  shore  near  the  point 
where  we  supposed  the  cutter  to  have  landed  her  people. 

Our  number  in  the  long-boat  were  now  reduced  to  se- 
venteen, consisting  of  Mr.  Trcince}  Mr.  Halkart,  my^^' 
21* 


Sk'^ 


.y»^%SBCiRKABLB   BHIPirRKCXt. '^  ^ 


m. 


self  and  fourteen  Lascars  and  others.  Our  stock  of  prdi 
▼tsion  was  two  bags  of  rice  and  one  gang  cask  of  water,' 
with  which  We  conceived  we  might  hold  out  until  reach- 
ing Bencoolt^n,  whither  we  determined  to  make  the  li^st 
of  our  way.  l*he  allowance  to  each  man  we  fiked  as 
one  tea-cupfuf  of  rice  and  a  pint  of  water  daily,  but  we 
soon  founa  it  necessary  to  ?n<»ke  a  considerable  reduc- 
tion. 

Proceeding  through  the  straits  of  Bantam,  we  met  in  our 

course  several  Malay  prows,  none  of  which  took  notice 

of  us  excepting  one,  which  gave  chase  for  a  day,  and 

would  have  come  up  with  us  had  we  not  got  off  under 

H  cover  of  a  very  dark  night.    Continuing  onwards,  we 

{)assed  through  the  strait  of  Say  pay,  where  we  caught  a 
arge  shark.  Our  spirits  were  much  elated  by  this-  valu- 
able prize,  which; we  lost  no  time  in  getting  cfh  board; 
and  having  kindled  afire  in  the  bottom  of -the  boat,  it 
was  roasted  with  al!  expedition.  Such  was  the  kee9> 
ness  of  our  appetite,  that  although  the  shark  must  have 
weired  one  hundred  and  fifty  or  one  hundred  and  sixty 
pounds,  not  a  vestige  of  it  renmined  at  the  close  of  the 
day.  But  we  were  afflicted  on  the  following  day  with 
the  most  violent  complaint  of  the  stomach  and  bowels, 
which  reduced  us  exceedingly,  and  left  us  languid  and 
spiritlesii,  insomuch  that  wo  now  despaired  of  safety. 

On  the  second  of  July,  I  lost  an  old  and  faithful  ser- 
vant, who  died  from  want  of  sustenance ;  and  on  the 
fourth,  we  made  Java  head  ;  at  the  same  time  cp tubing 
two  large  boobies,  which  afforded  all  hands  a  most  pre- 
cious and  refreshing  meal.  At  midnight  of  the  ninth, 
we  came  to  off  Pulo  Penang,  on  the  west  coast  of  Suma- 
tra; but  at  daylight,  when  endeavoring  to  weigh  our 
anchor  and  run  close  in  shore,  we  were  so  much  ex- 
hausted that  our  united  strength  proved  insufficient  to 
get  it  up. 

On  a  signal  of  distress  being  made,  a  sanpan  with  two 
Malay  s  came  off,  and  as  I  was  the  only  person  in  the 
long-boat  who  had  suidcient  strength  to  move.  I  accom- 
panied them  on  shore.  However,  I  found  myself  so 
weaken  landing  that  I  fell  to  the  ground^  and  it  was 


)«■■■ 


t 


TV  RECK  OF  THE  BRITISH  SHIP  SIDNEY. 


24r 


necessary  to  carry  me  to  an  adjacent  house.  Such  re- 
freshments as  could  be  procured  were  immediately  sent 
off  to  the  long-boat,  and  we  recruited  so  rapidly,  that  in 
two  days  we  found  ourselves  in  a  condition  to  proceed 
on  Qur  voyage.  Having  weighed  anchor  on  the  i2th  of 
July,  we  set  sail,  and  on  the  19th,  arrived  off  the  island 
of  Bencoolen. 

Here  I  met  with  an  old  friend,  captain  Ghauvet  of  the 
Perseverance,  whose  kindness  and  humanity  I  sh^U  evev 
remember  and  gratefully  acknowledge.  On  the  day 
subseauent'to  my  arrival,  I  waited  on  Mr.  Parr  the  resi- 
dent, from  whom  I  received  every  attention. 

Leaving  Bencoolen  on  the  17th  of  August,  in  the  Per- 
severance, I  arrived  at  Penan  p,  on  the  d7th,  where  I  was 
agreeably  surprised  to  meet  my  late  chief-mate,  Mr.  Rob-i 
son,,  who,  along  with  the  Lascars,  had  landed  at  Ceram<^ 
They  reached  Amboyna  in  safety,  where  they  were  re- 
ceived by  the  Dutch,  governor,  Mr.  Cranstoun.  with  a 
humanity  and  benevolence  that  reflect  honor  on  his  cha- 
racter. He  supplied  them  with  whatever  their  wantai 
required.  Mr.  Robson  was  accommodated  at  his  own 
table,  and,  on  leaving  Amboyna,  he  furiiished  him  money 
for  himself  and  his  people,  for  the  aEUOiint  pf  which  he 
refused  to  take  any  receipt  or  acknowledgment.  He  also 
gave  Mr.  Robson  letters  to  the  governor-general j)f  Qa- 
tavia,  recommending  him  to  his  kind  offices.  Sac|^ 
honorable  conduct  from  the  governor  of  a  foreign  country, 
and  with  which  we  were  at  war,  carnot  be  too  widely 
promulgated.  From  Amboyna,  Mr  Eobson  embarked 
in  the  Palids,  a  Dutch  frigate,  for  Batavia,  whicji  on  the. 
passage  thither  was  captured  by  his  majesty's  ships 
Greyhound  and  Harriet,  and  brought  to  Prince  of  Wales' 
island. 

From  Penang  I  sailed  to  B: ngal  with  the  Paruna, 
captain  Denison,  and  arrived  jsaiely; Jn  Calcutt  u  the 
beginning  of  May,  1806.  t^,n  awl  ftn;??.!  nih^^j^ 

E.t!#|  'Jjljf  hi'M  Tii^i  1..9 


m 


-  -J, 


•'    N 


,1        -r„ 


^■*f 


:{ryjm  fm-.  ■m^'^•r■m  ffff^  ^o  •>«  •'«' 


''■%■ 


LOSS  OP  THE  RAMILUBS  IN  TOE  ATLANTIC 


OC'UN. 


r?  Sitf- 


■vfiwi!^.^:)**^  j-' 


't  Admibal  (after waitis  Lord)  Orstvee  having  reqaested 
feave  to  return  to  Fagland  io'17'83,  was  app'nr.ted  by 
iord  Rodrr?y  to  command  the  convey  sont  homo  ith  the 
nnmcmvLS  fleet  of  merchantmen  irom  the  West  Indies  in 
t»'t'  moi^th  of  Jnly.  He  accordingly  hoisted  his  flag  on 
boaid  tha  KamiH^es,  of  seventy-four  guns,  and  sailed  on 
the  Jii'  .!v  fiora  Blue  Fields,  having  under  his  orders  the 
C/arscda  arid  Oentaur  of  seventy-four  guns  each,  the  Pallas 
frigate  of  thiriy-six  gims,  and  the  following  French 
ships,  taken  by  lord  iRodney  and  Six  Samuel  Hood,  out 
of  the  armament  commanaed  by  the  count  de  Gras$b, 
vizi  the  Ville  de  Paris,  of  one  hundred  and  ten  guns ;  the 
Olorieux  and  Hector,  of  seventy-four  guns  each;  the 
Ardent,  Oaton,  and  Jason,  of  six  guns  each.  Those 
which  wiere  orisrinaliy  British  ships  had  been  in  so  many 
actions,  and  so  long  absent  from  EIngland,  as  to  have 
become  extremely  out  of  condition,  while  that  of  the 
prizes  was  stiil  more  deplorable,  and  the  following  au- 
thentic account  of  the  various  disasters  which  attended 
this  distressed  convoy  will  be  found  equally  melancholy 
and  interesting. 

*'  Soon  after  the  fleet  had  sailed,  the  officers  of  the  Ar- 
dent united  in  signing  such  a  representation  of  her  mise- 
i^able  pl^ht  as  induced  admiral  Graves  to  order  her  back 
to  Port  Koyal ;  and  the^  Jason,  by  not  putting  to  sea  with 
the  convoy,  from  want  of  water,  neveit  joined  him  at  all. 
The  rest  proceeded,  and  after  those     Qssels  that  were 


bound  for  New  York  had  separated 
was  reduced  to  ninety-two  or  three  f 
On  the  Sth  of  September  the  Oat. 
made  SD  alarming  complaints,  '  ;a 
ed  bar  ^  ^J  the  Pallas,  also  bec&  .;  •;  ' 


whole  convoy 

springing  a  leak, 
.  le  admiral  direct- 
uky,  to  bear  away 


immediately,  and  keep  compan^    ;  ^^ther,  making  for 


_.  '   y 


/v^. 


U>S8  OF  TBS  iUMIM^IBS 


'•  i 


24V 


if 


ned 
by 

the 


Halifax,  which  then  bore  N.  N.  W.  ai^  was  but  eigl^ty- 
86ven  leagues  distant  ,,(   ufjij,,  ^^,,;  rj 

The  afternoon  of  the  16th  of  Septen^r  showing  indi- 
cations of  a  gale  and  foul  weather  from  the  soum-east 
quarter,  every  preparation  was  made  on  board  the  flag- 
ship ibr  such  an  event,  not  only  on  account  of  her  own 
safety,  but  also  as  an  example  to  the  rest  of  tlie  fleet. 
The  admiral  collected  the  ships  about  six  o'clock,  and 
brought  to  under  his  mainsail  on  the  larlH)ard  tack,  hav- 
ing all  his  other  sails  furled,  ^nd  his  top-gallant  yards 
and  masts  lowered  down.       uivt,     ,.> 

The  wind  soon  increasing,  olew  irtrong  from  the  £!.  S. 
E.  with  a  very  heavy  ses^  and  about  three  o'clock  in  the 
morning  of  the  17th  flew  suddenly  round  to  the  contrary 
point,  'blowing  most  tremendously,  and  accompanied 
with  rain,  thunder,  and  lightning;  the  Ramiliies  was 
taken  by  the  lee,  her  main-ciail  thrown  back,  her  main- 
mast went  by  the  board,  and  mizzen-mast  half  way  up ; 
the  fore-top  mast  fell  over  the  starboard  bow,  4he  fore- 
yard  broke  in  the  slings,  the  tiller  snapped  in  two,  and 
the  rudder  was  nearly  torn  ofl".  Thus  was  this  capital 
ship,  from  being  in  perfect  order,  reduced,  within  a  few 
miimteSyto  a  mere  wreck,  by  the  fury  of  the  blast  and 
the  violence  of  the  sea,  which  acted  in  opposition  to  each 
other.  The  ship  was  pooped,  the  cabin,  where  the  ad- 
miral lay,  was  flooded,  his  cot-bed  jerked  down  by  the 
violence  of  the  shock  and  the  ship's  instantaneous  revul- 
sion, so  that  he  was  obliged  to  pull  on  his  boots  half  leg 
deep  in  water,  without  any  stockings,  to  huddle  on  his 
wet  clothes,  and  repair  upon  deck.  On  his  first  coming 
thither^  he  ordered  two  of  the  lieutenants  to  examine  in- 
to the  state  of  the  afiairs  below,  and  to  keep  a  sufficient 
numbor  of  people  at  the  pumps,  while  he  himself  and  the 
ca»r^.in  kept  the  deck,  to  encourage  the  men  to  clear 
away  th^s  wreck,  which,  by  its  constant  swinging  back- 
wards a.n.1  forwards  by  every  wave  against  the  body  of 
the  ship,  had  beat  n  off  much  of  the  capper  from  the 
starboard  side,  ana  exposed  th^  seams  so  much  to  the 
sea  that  the  decuyed  oakum  washed  out,  and  the  whole 
fram^  hecame  at,  once  exceedingly  porous  and  le^y. 


# 


f  , 


860 


RIMABKAlfLB  SHIPWRS0K8. 


"At  dawn  of  day  they  perceived  a  lafge  ship  lying  un- 
der their  lee,  upon  her  side,  water-logged,  her  hands 
attempting  to  wear  her  by  first  cutting  away  the  miz- 
zen-mast,  and  then  her  main-mast;  hoisung  her  en- 
sign, with  the  union  downwards  in  order  to  draw  the  at- 
tention of  the  fleet;  but  to  ho  purpose,  for  no  succor 
could  be  given,  and  she  very  soon  went  down  head  fore- 
most, the  fly  of  her  ensign  being  the  last  thing  visible. 
This  was  tne  Dutton,  formerly  an  East  Indiaman,  and 
then  a  store-ship,  commandea  by  a  lieutenant  of  the 
navy,  who  in  his  agitation,  leaped  from  her  deck  into 
the  sea ;  but,  as  might  be  expected,  was  very  soon  over- 
whelmed by  its  billows.  Twelve  or  thirteen  of  the  crew 
contrived,  howefer,  to  lide  off  one  of  the  boats,  and 
running  with  the  wind,  first  endeavored  to  reach  a  large 
ship  before  them,  which,  not  being  able  to  fetch,  and 
afraid  of  filling  if  they  attempted  to  haul  up  for  the  pur- 
pose, they  made  up  for  another  ship  more  to  the  leeward, 
who  forfunately  aescrying  them,  threw  a  number  of 
ropes,  by  the  help  of  which  these  desperate  fellows 
scrambled  up  he/  sides,  and  fortunately  saved  thtir 
lives.  Outi)f  ninety  four  or  five  sail,  se^ni  the  day  be- 
fore, scarcely  twenty  could  now  be  counted ;  of  the  ships 
of  war,  there  were  discerned  the  Canada,  half  hull  down 
upon  the  lee-quarter,  having  her  mair-:op-mast  and 
mizzen-mast  gone,  the  main-top  damaged,  the  main- 
yard  aloft,  and  the  main-sail  furled ;  the  Centaur  was 
far  to  windward,  without  masts,  bowsprit,  or  rudder ; 
and  the  Glorieux  without  foremast,  bowsprit,  or  main- 
top-mast. Of  these  the  two  latter  perished  with  all  their 
crews,  excepting  the  captain  of  the  Centaur,  and,  a  few 
of  his  people,  who  contrived  to  slip  off  her  stern  into  one 
of  the  boats  unnoticed,  ana  thus  escaped  the  fate  of  the 
rest  of  the  crew. 

The  Ville  de  Paris  appeared  to  have  received  no  in- 
jury, and  was  commanded  by  a  most  experienced  sea- 
man, who  had  made  twenty-four  voyages  to  and  from 
the  West  In<^ies,  and  had,  therefore,  Of  en  '>itched  upon 
^to  lead  the  ship  through  the  gulf;  never  f  -s  she  wa. 
afterwards  I'Uried  in  the  ocean  with  all  >      ;K>ard  h^ 


LQtS   OF   TUB   BAMILUB8. 


m 


consisting  of  above  eight  hundred  people.  Of  the  oon- 
vov,  besides  the  Dutton,  before  mentioned,  and  the  Bri-t 
tisa  Queen,  seven  others  were  discovered  without  masts 
or  bowsprit!;  eighteen  lost  masts,  and  several  others  had 
foundered.  o  ^ 

In  the  course  of  this  day  the  Canada  crossed  upon  and 
passed  the  Ramillies ;  some  of  the  trade  attempted  to 
follow  the  Canada,  but  she  ran  at  such  a  rate  that  they 
soon  found  it  to  be  in  v^in,  and  then  returned  towardis 
the  flag-ship ;  the  Ramillies  had  at  this  time  six  feet 
water  in  her  hold,  and  the  pumps  would  not  free  her, 
the  water  having  worked  out  the  oakum,  and  her  beams 
amid-ship  being  almost  drawn  from  their  qlamps.        tt;^ 

The  admiral,  therefore,  gave  orders  for  all  the  buckets 
to  be  manncrl,  and  every  officer  to  help  towards  freeing 
the  ship ;  the  raizzen-top-sail  was  set  upon  the  fore-mast, 
the  main-top-gallant-sail  on  the  stump  of  the  mizz^i- 
mast,  and  tjie  tiller  shipped.  In  this  condition,  by  bear- 
ing away,  she  scudded  on  at  so  good  a  rate  that  she  held 
pace  with  some  of  ths  merchantmen. 

The  day  having  been  spent  in  bailing  and  ,'>umping, 
without  materially  gaining  on  the  water,  the  captor  in 
the  name  of  the  officers,  represented  to  the  admuai  ^he 
necessity  of  parting  with  the  guns  for  the  relief  of  the 
ship,  but  he  objected,  tltat  there  would  then  be  left  no 
pirotection  for  the  convoy.  At  length,  however,  after, 
great  difficulty,  he  consented  io  their  disposing  of  the 
fore-castle  and  after-most  quarter-deck  guns,  together 
with  some  of  the  shot,  and  other  articles  of  very  great 
weight.  The  ensuing  night  was  employed  in  bailing 
and  endeavoring  to  make  the  pumps  usenii  fo?  the  bal* 
last, by  getting  into  tHe  well,  had  choked  i:  >  ^ciidered 
them  useles  ?,  and  the  chains  had  broken  every  time  they  ^ 
were  repaired.  The  water  had  risen  to  seven  feet  in  ■ 
the  hold.  The  wind  from  the  westward  drove  a  vast 
sea  before  it,  and  the  ship  being  >  old,  strained  most  vio#,« 
lently. 

On  the  mornag  of  the  18th,  nothing  could  be  seen  of 
tut.  Canada,  sh'j  having  pushes  on  at  her  greatest  speed 
for  England.     The  frame  of  the  Ramillies  having  opened 


262 


BBMABKABLB  SHIPWBBOEfl. 


during  th-  r.'^h\  Me  admiral  wbb  prevailed  upon,  by* 
th6  tenn  ed  u'  )i  pressing  remonstrances  of  the  officers, 
ahhoug:)  vilh  great  reluctance,  to  let  six  of  the  forward- 
mosi  ftiid  four  of  the  aftermobt  guns  of  the  nfain-deck  to 
be  thrown  overboard,  together  with  the  remamder  o£^ 
those  on  the  quarter-deck ;  and  the  ship  still  continuing 
to  open  very  much,  hn  «  •'  1  tarred  canvas  and  hides 
to  be  nailed  fore  and  ait  irom  under  the  sills  of  the  ports 
on  the  main-deck  under  the  fifth  plank  above,  or  within 
the  water-ways^  and  the  crew,  without  orders, did  the 
same  on  the  lower  deck.  Her  increasing  complaints  re- 
quiring still  more  to  be  done,  the  admiral  directed  all  the 
f;uns  on  the  upper  deck,  the  shot,  both  on  that  and  the 
ower  deck,  and  various  heavy  stores  to  be  thrown  over- 
board; a  leakage  in  the  light  room  of  the  grand  maga- 
zine having  ahnpst  filled  the  ship  forward,  and  there 
b^iig  eight  feet  water  in  the  magazine,  every  gentleman 
was  compelled  to  take  his  turn  at  the  whips,  -or  in  hand- 
ing the  buckets.  The  ship  was  besides  frappr'd  from  the 
fore-mast  to  the  mainmast. 

Notwithstanding  their  utmost  efibrts  the  water  still 
gain^  rm  them; the  succeeding  night,  the  wind  blowing 
very  hiard,  with  extremely  heavy  squalls,  a  part  of  the 
orlop-deck  fell  into  the  hold;  the  ship  herself  seemed  to 
worK  excessively,  an.i  to  settle  forward. 
V  On  the  mtming  of  the  19th,  under  these  very  alaimM 
dng  circt^rnstftnc'js,  thr  admiral  commanded  both  the 
bowef-anchors  to  be  cut  away,  all  the  junk  to  be  flung 
overboard,  one  sheet  and  one  bower  cable  to  be  reduced 
to  junk  and  served  the  came  way,  together  with  ev^ry 
remaining  ponderous  store  thatcouMbe  gotct,  andhll 
the  powder  in  the  grand  magazine  (it  being  damaged  ;) 
the  cutter  and  pinnace  to  oe  broken  up  and  tossed  over- 
board, the  skidds  h  ing  already  worked  off  the  side  ; 
every  soul  on  board  s  n  >w  employed  in  bailing.  One 
of  the  purtipS'lvas  got  up,  but  to  no  purpose,  for  the  shot- 
lockers  being  broken  down,  some  of  the  shot,  as  well  as 
the  ballast,  had  fallen  into  the  well ;  and  as  the  wea- 
ther moderated  a  little,  every  thing  was, made  ready  tb 
heave  the  lower  deck  guns  into  the  sea,  the  admiral  be- 


u^ 
shi 


to 


seq 
he 


LOW  OP   THE   RARHIXiM. 


M'* 


mfj  anxious  to  leave  nothing  undone  for  the  reliaf  of  the 
•hip. 

When  evening  approached,  there  being  twenty  mer- 
chant ships  in  sight,  the  officers  united  in  beseechinsr 
him  to  go  into  one  of  them,  hut  this  he  positively  ^efns^ 
to  do,  deeming  it,  as  he  declared,  unpardonable  in  a 
commander-in-chief  to  desert  his  garrison  iu  distres:^; 
th%t  his  living  a  few  years  longer  was  of  very  little  con- 
sequence, but  that,  by  leaving  his  ship  at  such  a  time, 
he  iihould  discourage  and  slacken  the  exertions  of  th% 
people,  by  setting  a  very  bad  example.  The  wind  lull« 
mg  somewhat  during  the  night;  all  hands  bailed  the  wa- 
ter, which,  at  this  time,  was  six  feet  fore  and  aft. 

On  the  morning  of  the  20th,  the  admiral  ordered  the 
the  spare  and  stream  anc|iors  to  be  cut  away,  and  with- 
in the  course  of  the  day  all  the  lower  deck  guns  to  be 
tlirown  overboard.  When  evening  came,  the  spirits  of 
the  people  in  general,  and  even  of  the  most  courageous, 
beg;an  to  fail,  and  they  openly  expressed  the  utmost  des- 
pair, together  with  the  most  earnest  desire  of  quitting 
the  ship,  ^est  they  should  founder  in  her.  The  admiral 
hereupon  advanced  and  told  them,  that  he  and  their 
officers  had  an  equal  regard  for  their  own  lives,  and  that 
the  officers  had  no  intention  of  deserting  either  them  or 
the  ship ;  that,  for  his  part,  he  was  determined  to  try  one 
night  more  in  her;  he,  therefore,  hoped  and  entreated 
they  would  do  so  too,  for  there  was  still  room  to  imagine, 
that  one  fair  day,  with  a  moderate  sea,  n'ight  enable 
them,  by  united  exertions,  to  clear  an<i  secure  the  well 
against  the  encroaching  ballast  which  wa.'iihed  into  it; 
that  if  this  could  be  done,  they  might  be  able  to  restore 
the  chains  to  the  pumps,  and  uso  them ;  and  that  then 
hands  enough  might  be  spared  to  raise  jury-masts,  with 
which  they  might  carry  the  ship  to  Ireland ;  that  her 
appearance  alone,  while  she  could  swim,  would  be  sufll- 
cient  to  protect  the  remaining  part  of  her  convoy ;  above 
all,  that  as  every  thin^  that  could  be  thought  of  had  now 
been  done  for  her  relief,  it  would  be  but  reasonable  to  wait 
the  effect.  He  concluded  with  assuring  them^  that  he 
would  nutke  the  signal  directly  for  the  trade  to  lie  by 
22 


9H 


AMMAMItkMUK  WUPWllOKa. 


thamauring  tbe  night,  which  he  doubted  not  they  woolc 
comply  wim.  .    v«r  *       #»<w 

ihti  temperate  speech  had  the  desired  effect;  tht> 
firmness  and  confidence  with  which  he  spoke,  and  theii 
feliatioe  on  his  seamanship  and  judgment,  as  well  as  his 
constant  jJiresence  and  attention  to  every  accident,  had  a 
wonderfol  effect  upon  them ;  they  became  pacihed,  and 
returned  to  their  duty  and  their  labors.  Smce  the  ^sl 
dirrcier,  the  admiral  had.  in  fact,  scarcely  ever  quitted 
the  deck ;  this  they  had  all  observed,  together  with  his 
diligence  in  personally  inspecting  evsry  circumstance  of 
distress.  Knowing  his  skill  and  experience,  they  placed 
great  confidence  in  them ;  and  he  instantly  made,  ac- 
cording to  his  promise,  a  signal  for  all  the  merchantmen. 

At  this  period,  it  must  be  confessed,  there  was  great 
reason  for  alarm,  and  but  little  for  hope ;  for  all  the  an- 
chors and  guns,  excepting  one,  together  with  every  other 
matter  of  weight,  had  been  thrown  overboard,  and  yet 
the  ship  did  not  seem  at  all  relieved.  The  strength  of 
the  p^ple  was,  likewise,  so  nearly  exhausted,  having 
had  no  sleep  since  the  first  fatal  stroke,  that  one  half  of 
the  crew  were  ordered  to  bail  and  the  other  to  repose ; 
so  that,  although  the  wind  was  much  abated,  the  water 
still  gained  upon  them,  in  spite  of  all  their  efforts,  and 
the  ship  rolled  and  worked  most  prodigiously  in  a  most 
UnquiiBtsea. 

At  three  in  the  morning  of  the  2tst,  being  the  fourth 
night,  the  well  being  quite  broken  in,  the  casks,  ballast 
and  remaining  shot  rushed  together  and  destroyed  the 
cylinders  of  the  pumps ;  the  frame  and  carcass  of  the 
ship  began  to  give  way  in  every  part;  and  the  whole 
crew  exclaimed  that  it  was  impossible  to  keep  her  any 
longer  above  water. 

In  this  extremity,  the  admiral  resolved  within  himself 
not  to  lose  a  moment  in  removing  the  people  whenever 
daylight  should  arrive,  but  told  the  captain  not  to  com- 
municate any  more  of  his  design  than  that  he  intended 
to  remove  the  sick  and  lame  at  day-break ;  and  for  this 
purpose  he  should  call  on  board  all  the  boats  of  themor- 
<>«hantmen.  >  He,  nevertheless,  gave  private  orders  to  thei 


LOM  or  nui  BAmtuM.-  r^n 


aiA 


captain,  whiia  this  was  doing,  to  have  all  iim  breads 
brought  upon  the  quarter-deck^  with  a  quantity  of  bee^ 
pork,  and  flour,  to  settle  the  best  diAUribution  of  the  peo- 
ple according  to  the  number  of  the  trade-shipe  that  should 
obey  their  signal,  and  to  allow  an  officer  to  each  division 
of  them  i  to  have  the  remaining  boats  launched,  and  a» 
soon  as  the  sick  were  disposed  of,  to  begin  to  remove  the 
whole  of  the  crew,  with  the  utmost  despatch,  but  with* 
out  risking  too  many  in  a  boat. 

Accordingly  at  dawn,  the  signal  was  made  for  tba 
boats  of  the  merchantmen,  but  nobody  suspected  what 
was  to  follow,  until  the  bread  was  entirely  removed  and 
the  sick  gone.  About  six  o'clock,  the  rest  of  the  crew 
were  permitted  to  go  off,  and  between  nine  and  ten,  there 
being  nothing  further  to  direct  and  regulate,  the  admiral 
himself,  after  shaking  hands  with  every  officer,  and  leav- 
ing his  barge  for  then  better  accommodation  and  trans- 
port, Quitted  forever  the  Ramillies,  which  had  then  nine 
feet  of  water  in  her  hold.  He  went  into  a  small  leaky 
boat,  loaded  with  bread,  out  of  which  both  him  and 
the  surgeon  who  accompanied  him  were  obUged  to  bail, 
water  all  the  way.  He  was  in  his  boots,  with  his  sur«, 
tout  over  his  uniform,  and  his  countenance  as  calm  and  aa 
composed  as  ever.  He  had,  at  going  off,  desired  a  cloak, 
a  cask  of  flour  and  a  cask  of  water,  but  could  get  o^ly 
the  flour,  and  he  left  behind  all  his  stock,  wines,  fumitu  •  - 
books  and  charts,  which  had  cost  him  upwards  of  o*... 
thousand  pounds,  being  unwilling  to  employ  evena  singia 
servant  in  saving  or  packing  up  what  belonged  to  him- 
self alone,  in  a  time  of  such  general  calamity,  as  to  ap- 
pear better  in  that  respect  than  any  of  the  crew. 

The  admiral  rowed  for  the  Belle,  Captain  Forster,  be- 
ing the  first  of  the  trade  that  had  borne  up  to  the  Ramil«, 
lies  the  preceding  night  in  her  imminent  distress,  and  by 
his  anxious  humanity  set  such  an  example  to  his  brother 
traders  as  had  a  powerful  influence  upon  them — ^an  influ- 
ence which  was  generally  followed  by  sixteen  others,  j^^ 

By  three  o'clock,  most  of  the  crew  were  taken  out,  at' 
which  time  the  Ramillies  had  thirteen  feet  of-  water  ia. 
her  hold,  and  was  evidently  foundering  in  every  part, j  at* 


39» 


REMASXASLB    •HiPWRBCKB. 


'A 
1  «■;.:; 


httif  past  fony  this  captain,  tod  fitst  and  third  lieuteii^htfl. 
left  her,  with  every  soul  exccptrng  the  fourth  lieutenant, 
whb  staid  behind  only  to  exectrte  the  admiral's  orders  for 
setting  fire  to  her  wreck  when  finally  deserted.  Thtf 
carcass  bui-ned  rapidly,  and  the  flames  quickly  reaching 
the  powder  which  wa:s  fillfed  in  the  after-tnagazine,  and 
had  been  lodged  very  high ;  iii  thirty-five  minutes  the 
decks  and  upper  works  blew  up  with  a  horrid  exploirfon 
and  cloud  of  smoke,  while  the  lower  part  of  the  hull  was ^ 
pitecipitatM  to  the  bottom  of  the  oceaii.*'^  T*»*««^«^«i^  ^ 
All  this  tira^  the  admiral,  in  the  Belle,  stood  for  the' 
wreck  to  see  his  last  orders  executed,  as  well  as  to  suc- 
cor any  boats  that  might  be  too  full  of  meh,  ^he  swell 
of  the  sea  being  prodigious,  although  the  weather  had 
been  moderate  ever  since  noon  of  the  foregoing  day. 
There  were,  however,  at  ihtervals,  some  sqUalls,  with 
threats  of  the  tveather  soon  becoming  violent.  It  was 
not  long  before  they  were  realized,  for  within  two 
hours  after  the  last  of  the  crew  were  piit  on  board  their 
rtispective  ships,  the  wind  rose  to  a  great  height,  and  so 
continued,  "with  intermission,  for  six  or  seveii  successive 
days,  so  that  no  boat  could,  during  that  time,  have  lived 
iti  the  water.  On  such  a  small  interval  depended  the 
salvation  of  more  than  six  hundred  lives !  Indeed,  dur- 
ing the  four  days  immediately  preceding  this  catastrophe, 
it  blew  such  a  strong  gale,  and  such  a  heavy  sea  folloKved 
the  Ramillies,  that  it  was  always  necessary  to  keep  her 
with  the  wind  upon  her  quarter,  with  seldom  more  than 
the  sprit-^sail  hoisted  upon  her  foremast,  and  at  times 
with  iio  sail  at  all,  in  which  state  she  would  nm  at  the 
rate  of  six  miles  an  hour.  Whenever  the  main-top- gal- 
lant-sail was  set  on  the  stump  of  the  mizzen-mast  she 
commonly  griped  so  much,  as  to  render  the  steerage 
very  difficult,  and  yet  this  .had  been  carried,  whenever  it 
could  be,  in  order  to  keep  pace  with  the  merchantme'%  the 
slowest  of  which  went  nearly  as  fast  under  their  bare 
poles.    ^^'-^  f ■•-•■'■■  \'-  ^»-''^>-^.=-'  7-1.....!-..  :-y''  ..  ..r^  "-y... 

EvehihiliMi#g:thu^,  the'Ramitlies  rolfei  prddl^busly,' 
and  a:s  she  grew  lighter  every  day  heir  motion  became^ 
the  more  uneasy,  so  that  the  men  could  scarcely  stand  to ' 


L06*  OF  THE  RAMILLIBMB* 


257 


Ikmx  wotlror  keep  tfavir  legs  without  something  to  lay  hold 
by.  There  was  no  such  thing  as  real  repose  for  them  when 
sitting  or  lying  (iown  upon  deck,  nor  steadiness  enough 
to  eat  or  drink  with  any  security ;  no  meat  could  be 
dressed,  nor  did  any  man  or  officer  go  into  bed.  Until 
the  aftemocm  of  the  20th,  there  was  no  venturing  to  bring 
her  to,  even  for  a  boat  to  eome  onboard;  but  notwi^- 
standing  this  desperate  c<mditionj  when  some  were  hour- 
ly dropping  through  fatigue  and  want  of  sleep,  and  the 
decks  were  covered  with"  water,  Ihe  whole  of  the  crew 
behaved  with  the  utmost  obedience,  attention  and  sobri- 
ety, and  omitted  no  possible  exertion  f(Mr  the  preserva- 
tion of  the  ship.   "«'4'^  ^ii^u:^imi4:i  \=:  ihiti   -.^ui  ■.f^mk 

Upon  their  separation  taking  place,  the  officers,  who 
were  distributed  with  portions  of  the  crew  among  the 
Jamaica-men,  had  orders  respectively  to  deliver  them  to 
the  first  man-of-war  or  tender  they  should  meet  with, 
and  to  acquaint  the  Secretary  of  the  Admiralty,  -by  the 
earliest  opportunity,  of  their  proceedings.  A  pendant 
was  hoisted  on  board  the  Belie,  by  way  of  distinction, 
that  she  might,  if  possible,  lead  the  rest.  Some' of  the 
trade  kept  with  her,  and  others  made  the  best  of  their 
way,  apprehensive  lest  they  should  soon  fall  short  of 
provisions,  as  they  had  so  many  more  to  feed. 

The  Silver-Ee?.  transport,  which  had  sailed  from  Blue- 
fields  with  the  invalids  of  Sir  George  Rodney's  fieet,  and 
was  under  the  command  of  a  lieutenant  of  the  navy, 
had  been  ordered  to  keep  near  the  Ramillies.  That  ship 
Was  accordingly  at  hand  on  the  21si  of  September,  the  day 
of  her  destruction,  and  in  consequence  of  several  deaths 
on  the  passage  had  room  enough  for  the  reception  of  all  who 
were  now  ailing  or  j>iiaimed,  and  was  therefore  charged 
with  them,  being  propexly  fitted  for  their  accommodation. 

The  Silver-Eel  parted  from  the  admiral  in  latitude  42 
48  N.  and  longitude  45  Id  W.  after  seeing  the  Ramillies 
demolished,  and  being  ordered  to  make  for  the  first  port, 
ran  into  Falmouth  the  6th  of  October,  on  the  afternoon 
of  which  day,  one  of  the  trade-ships,  with  a  midship- 
man and  sixteen  of  the  crew  of  the  Ramillies,  reached 
Plymouth  sound.  Another  of  the  same  convoy,  having 
22'i«= 


208 


BBM ASKASLB  SBirWBSCKS. 


on  board  another  put  of  the  crew,  with  the  cafitain  and 
first  lieutenant,  anchored  in  the  same  place  before  day- 
light the  next  morning.  The  Canada,  however,  haying 
exerted  her  utmost  speed,  had,  prior  to  all  these,  on  the 
4th  of  the  same  month,  got .  to  Portsmouth,  when^  she 
spread  the  news  of  the  dispersion  of  this  miserable  fleet, 
which  being  conveyed  to  France,  her  privateers  immedi- 
ately put  to  sea  in  hopes  of  making  prizes  of  them.  Some 
of  the  Jamaica-men,  with  part  of  the  crew  of  the  Ramil- 
lies,  fell  into  their  hands ;  two  of  the  West  indiamen  were 
captured  in  sight  of  the  Belle,  but  she  herself  with  the 
admiral  and  thirty-three  of  his  crew,  arrived  safe,  though 
singly,  <  tn  the  10th  of  October,  in  Cork  harbor,  where 
was  the  Myrmidon  frigate.  The  Admiral  immediately 
hoisted  his  flag  on  board  the  latter,  and  sailing  with  the 
first  fair  wind,  arrived,  on  the  17th,  in  Plymouth  Sound, 
apparently  in  good  health,  but  with  a  settled  oppression 
upon  his  breast,  from  having  been  so  long  and  so  dread- 
fully exposed  upon  the  deck  of  the  RamUlies  in  the  hor- 
rid night  when  she  was  first  overtaken  by  the  storm ; 
nor  codld  he  remove  that  complaint  for  upwards  of  six 
months.  He  brought  away  with  him  nothing  but  a  few 
of  his  private  papers,  the  rest  of  his  e&cvs  having  shared 
the  same  fate  as  the  ship.  rmMfj^  Kal  wil*  ^  mm-rhmq 
It  weus  calculated  that  by  the  destruction  of  the  fl^et, 
upwards  of  twenty  one  thousand  and  five  hun  r  lid  persons 
perished.  The  loss  of  property  has  been  estimated  by 
the  British  Government  to  be  upwards  of  £20,000,000. 
The  gale,  which  continued  for  six  days,  was  the  most 
tremendous  one  on  record 


te?jrfr»«-i1'-  '*^tf»%^t  m:\ 


PRESERVATION  OF  NINE  MEN,  «^  *' !;'  , 


\riin    1) 


i  IN  A  SM^AlL  BOAT,  SOBROUNDED  BT  ISLANDS  OF  ICE^' 

We  sailed  from  Plymouth  under  convoy  of  H.  B.  Ma- 
jesty's ship  St.  Alban'Sj  and  two  other  ships  of  war,  to- 


PRESIBTATION  OF  NINS  MIN. 


^IP 


Ji 


getherwilh  a  fleet  of  merchantmen  bound  to  the  M^-'  ' 
terianean,  having  a  freilh  gale  at  north-east. 
iThe  wind  still  continuing,  we  kept  company  with  the 
fleet  until  reaching  120  leagues  to  the  westward;   then 
judging  ourselves  clear  of  privateers,  we  proceeded  on 
our  voyage.     But  before  gaining  800  leagues,  oa  the  17th 
of  March,  we  came  up  with  an  English'built  iship  of 
about  200  tons,  carrying  twelve  guns,  and  sailing  under 
a  jury  main-mast.    On  our  approach  she  hoisted  Eng*. 
lish  colofs ;   and,  on  being  hailed,  told  us  she  belonged  tot 
London,  and  was  now  bound  from  Virginia  homewards, 
which  seemed  probable,   as  many  tame  fowl  were  on 
board ;  and  a  red  bird  flew  from  her  to  us. 

Our  captain  seeing  tlie  vessel  disabled,  desired  her  to 
bring  to ;  saying,  if  any  thing  was  wanted  on  board,  we 
should  hoist  out  our  boat  and  carry  it  thither;  but  this 
was  obstinately  refused ;   the  captain  declared,  thit  our 
boat  should  not  approach,  and  unless  we  kept  further  off", 
he  would  fire  into  us.     This  induced  suspicion  on  our 
part,  wherefore  we  ran  up  with  the  vessel,  and  command- 
ed her  to  bring  to.    On  this  she  fired,  and  engaged  us 
x'rom  eleven  in  the  morning  until  six  in  th**  evening ;  than, 
being  much  damaged,  she  struck,  and  called  to  us  to  save- 
the  lives  of  the  crew.     But  this  request  came  too  late, 
for  the  wind  increasing,  raised  a  great  sea,  which  forced' 
our  ship  under  a  reefed  main-sail,  whence  we  could  not' 
hoist  out  our  boat,  without  endangering  our  own  lives.4 
However,  by  means  of  a  light  w'^hich  she  carried,  we  kept^- 
close  to  her,  intending  to  hoist  the  boat  out  when  it  be«* 
came  practicable.     But  towards  midnight  her  light  be- 
came very  low;  and  by  a  loud  cry,  which  was  heard - 
about  one  o'clock,  we  judged  that  she  fouiidered. 

When  the  vessel  struck  she  told  us  that  she  had  four-' 
teen  Frenchmen  on  board,  whence  we  conjectured  her  to 
bs  an  English  Virginia-man  taken  by  the  French ;  and 
that  she  had  lost  her  main-mast  in  the  engagement  We 
followed  her  cha'sing  and  fighting,  about  thirty  leagues; 
and  when  she  struck  we  were  in  45  60  north  latitude. 

Our  booty  bemg  thus  lost,  we  made  the  best  of  our 
way  to  Newfoundland,  being  boimd  thither  on  a  fishing 


i 


RBMAllKABLE  8H1PWBE0K8.    T 


f-p,: 


voyage.  One  trouble,  however,  seldom  comes  alone,  and 
■o  it  happened  to  us ;  for  on  the  26th  of  March,  we  saw 
fiome  shattered  ice,  at  four  in  the  afternoon,  which  was 
supposed  to  be  the  harbor  ice  now  broken  up.  We  were 
now  in46 60  north  latitude,  and  conceive i  ourselves  fifty- 
leagues,  though  it  afterw  ^rds  proved  seventy,  from  the 
land.  The  wind  being  at  east,  the  top-sails  were  handed ; 
and  we  stood  northward,  under  our  courses,  hoping  to 
get  clear  of  the  ice  before  night.  But  finding  rather 
more  than  less,  we  tacked  to  the  Southward,  wnfich  was 
found  unproductive  of  any  change.  Therefore,  for  fur- 
ther security,  the  fore-sail  was  furled,  and  the  ship  brought; 
to  under  the  mainsail,  as  night  approached,  and  as  there 
was  a  dead  wind,  so  that  we  could  lie  off  on  either  tack  ; 
we  trusted  if  we  should  fall  in  with  the  greater  ice,  to  meet 
with  the  less  shocks. 

About  eight  oi  nine  o'clock,  we  discovered  a  field  of 
ice,  of  which  we  ran  foul,  notwithstanding  our  exertions 
to  keep  clear  of  it;  and  although  we  hung  cables,  .coils 
of  rope,  hoops  a-nd  such  things,  over  the  ship  to  defend 
her,  she  struck  so  hard,  that  at  eleven  she  bilged,  whence 
we  had  much  difiiculty  to  l:eep  her  afloat  till  day-light, 
by  two  pumps  going,  and  bailing  at  three  hatch-ways. 

At  the  approach  of  day,  our  men  were  much  fatigued, 
the  v^ater  increased,  and  against  noon  the  hold  was  half 
full.  No  one  knew  what  to  advise  another,  and  all  be- 
gan to  despair  of  their  lives :  we  continued  pumping, 
though  to  little  purpose,  and  concluded,  that  if  now  were 
our  appointed  time,  we  must  submit  patiently  to  it. 

But  aniidst  this  disaster,  it  pleased  God  to  put  it  into 
the  thoughts  oi  some  us,  that  several  might  be  preserved 
in  the  boat,  upon  which  the  captain  was  an  treated  to 
hoif  t  her  out,  and  commit  a  few  of  us  there. 

The  captain  answered,  that,  although  God  could  work 
wonders,  it  v/as  improbab^  ^  that  so  small  :,  i>oat  should 
preserve  us ;  that  it  was  but  living  a  few  days  longer  in 
misery ;  and,  seeing  God  had  cast  this  calamity  to  his  lot, 
he  was  resolved  to  take  his  chance,  and  die  with  his  men. 

Nevertheless,  being  much  importuned,  he  ordered  the 
b^at  out,  and  William  Saunders  and  five  others  in  her; 


PKinnwf  AVION  or  ninb  MtN/ 


M 


:j: 


and,  that  the  men  might  not  suspect  their  design  it  iliras 
given  oat  that  the  hoat  should  go  ahead  to  tow  the  ship 
clear  of  the  ice.  How  likdy  that  was  the  reader  may 
judge,  there  heing  hut  one  oar,  all  the  r«st  were  broken 
by  defending  the  ship  from  the  ice.  However,  the  pur^- 
pose  advanced. 

The  boat  being  out,  and  finding  no  effect  produced  in 
towing  the  ship,  fell  a-stem,  intending  to  take  in  the  cap- 
tain and  as  many  as  it  could  safely  carry j  while  ^omo 
were  preparing  necessaries  for  a  miserable  voyage.  A 
compass,  and  other  things  ready,  were  conveyed  into  it. 

The  captain,  doctor  and  several  others,  having  got  out 
at  the  cabin  windows  and  galleries,  I,  amongst  the  rest, 
endeavored  to  es<iape  at  the  gallery,  intending  likewise, 
if  possible,  to  get  into  the  boat  j  but  being  discovered  by 
the  men,  they  took  small  arms,  and  kept  off  the  boat, 
resolving,  as  they  could  not  preserve  all,  that  the  whole 
should  perish  together. 

This  design  being  frustrated,  every  one,  except  myself 
and  William  Langmead,  got  into  tlie  ship  again ;  but  we 
were  so  low  that  we  could  not  recover  ourselves.     No 

{)erson  coming  to  relieve  u^,  we  were  at  length  forced  to 
et  go  our  hold,  and  trust  to  the  mercy  of  those  in  the 
boat,  who  seeing  us  swimming  towards  them^  hove  out  a 
rope  and  took  us  in.  t1#^\|ft  i^wtv'^f^  flii#  #^  m 

We  were  now  eight  in  number  in  the'^boat;''and,  \Wl!ing 
to  save  our  capt&in,  lay  hovering  about  the  ship  till  night ; 
but  the  men  persisting  in  their  resolution,  fired  at  the 
boat  and  kept  her  off.  W^  began  to  seek  shelter  as 
night  approached;  and,  having  gone  among  the  shat- 
te^ed  ice,  made  our  boat  fast  to  a  small  luirp,  and  drove 
with  it ;  and  as  we  came  foul  of  great  ice,  we  removed 
and  made  fast  to  another  piece,  and  so  continued  during 
the  remainder  of  the  night.  Looking  around  in  the 
morning,  the  ship  was  s jBU  about  three  leagues  to  the 
eastward  in  the  same  position  as  we  had  left  her,  where- 
on, a  consultation  was  held,  whether  or  not  we  should 
return  and  make  another  attempt  to  save  the  captain^ 
and  as  many  more  as  possible.  This  proposal,  however, 
was  negatived,  every  one  alleging  that  the  men  would 


! 


'M-' 


'^' 


tIMAIIKABLE  SHirWltBfMCS. 


either  fire  on  us,  or  inconsiderately  crowd  into  the  boat 
and  sink  her ;  therefore  \i  was  resolved  to  make  the  best 
of  our  way  to  the  shore.  But  I,  considering  how  little  it 
woiUd  tend  to  my  honor  to  save  my  life^  and  see  my 
captain  periedtky  endeavored  to  persude  them  chat  the  ship 
still  swam  buoyant,  that  I  hoped  the  leak  was  stopped, 
imd  that  we  might  proceed  on  our  voyage ;  but  this  was 
unavailing.  When  I  saw  myself  nndbie  to  prevail  thus, 
I  desired  tbem  to  row  up  and  set  me  on  that  part  of  the 
ice  next  the  ship,  whence  I  should  walk  to  her,  and  die 
with  my  commander,   .tf^^n  "-^rmim  im^m  l^mj  -.isennffm') 

This  being  unanimously  agreed  to,  wie  rowedup  tb'lhe 
ice ;  but  when  we  reached  it,  I  wa>s  loth  to  get  out. 
However,  on  calling  the  captain  to  u%  Mr.  John  Maddick 
came  first,  and  after  him  the  doctor  and  some  others, 
which  the  captain  perceiving,  came  also. 

The  captain  having  left  the  ship,  the  multitude  crowd- 
ed so  eagerly,  after  him  that  we  had  like  to  have  spoiled 
all ;  but  by  chance  the  boat  was  got  off,  and  twenty-one 
people  in  her  and  hanging  to  her  sides.  Sofhe  were 
forced  to  slip;  others  perished  on  the  ice,  not  being  able 
to  return  to  the  ship,  where  the  rest  were  lost. 

On  the  25th  of  March,  we  took  a  miserable  farewell 
pf  our  distressed  brethren,  the  heart  cf  every  one  being 
so  overloaded  with  his  own  misery  as  fo  have  little  room 
to  pity  another.  Next,  on  considering  what  course  to 
f'Oliowy  we  resolved  to  make  for  the  shore. 
'^(i(Owt  only  provision  was  a  small  barrel  of  flour,  and  a 
.five  gallon  rundlet  of  brandy,  which  had  been  thrown 
overboaid,  and  was  taken  up  by  us.  We  also  took  up 
an  old  chest,  which  stood  us  in  good  stead,  for  having 
but  one  oar,  and  our  ship's  handspikes,  and  a  hatchet 
being  by  chance  in  the  boat,  wc  could  split  the  chest, 
and  nail  it  to  the  handspikes,  which  were  our  oars. 
Nails  we  had  only  by  drawing  them  from  different  parts 
of  the  boat ;  and  the  rest  of  the  chest  was  used  to  kindle 
a  ^re.  It  also  happened  that  our  main  tarpauling,  which 
had  been  newly  tarred,  was  put  into  the  boat.  Of  it  we 
made  a  main-sail ;  and  of  an  old  piece  of  canvas,  that 
had  been  a  sail  to  a  yawl,  we  made  a  fore-sail.    In  this 


PBESBRVATION  OF  NINE  M«N. 


268 


% 


oonditkm  we  turned  towards  the  shore,  and  observing 
the  surrounding  ice  lie  north  and  south,  we.  staered  noirthi 
and  in  the  moining  were  clear  of  it.       t^s  -iittM  »  -nm-virM 

Having  now  got  into  tlie  ocean,  and  the  wind  being 
still  easterly,  we  hoisted  our  sail,  and  steered  W.  N.  W. 
about  fourteen  leagues,  when  we  fell  in  with  another 
field  of  ice^  Attempting  to  sail  through  it,  we  were  en- 
closed by  nltany  great  islands,  which  drove  s^  fast  toge- 
ther, that  we  were  forced  to  haul  up  our  boat  on  the  jce, 
otherwise  we  should  have  perished. 

Here  we  lay  eleven  days  without  once  seeing  the  5»?ia. 
As  the  ice  was  thick,  we  caught  as  many  seals  as  we 
chose,  for  they  were  in  great  abundance.  Our  fire- 
hearth  was  made  of  the  skin,  and  the  fat  melted  so 
easily,  that  we  could  boil  the  lean  with  it. 

But  by  lying  so  long  in  this  cold  region,  the  men  be- 
gan to  complain  o£  their  feet ;  and  our  boat  being  too 
small  to  afford  room  for  all,  there  was  always  a  hideous 
cry  among  us  of  hurting  each  other,  though  for  this  there 
was  no  semedy.  We  kept  watch  six  and  six,  both  for 
the  convenience  of  room,  and  to  guard  against  the  ice 
breaking  under  our  boat,  which  often  happened,  and 
then  it  was  necessary  to  launch,  or  carry  her  to  a  place 
which  we  thought  strong  enough  to  bear  h^  weight,  c 

In  eleven  days  we  saw  the  sea,  and,  with;  great  diffi- 
culty, got  out  the  boat.  We  sailed  about  ten  or  twelve 
leagues  N.  N.  W.  as  before,  when  we  were  again  ea- 
closed ;  and  this  was  repeated  five  several  times.  The  last 
ice,  however,  was  worse  than  any  before,  and  although 
it  was  so  thick  that  we  could  not  force  the  boat  through 
It,  yet  it  was  not  so  solid  as  to  bear  the  weight  of  a  man ; 
therefore,  notwithstanding  we  daily  ?aw  ^Q^igh  s-ea^ls, 
we  could  take  none  of  them. : i»>^i  H»vt!t  fi«,uil  ^^-^  t:,-,^.,.^^ 

It  fortunately  happened,  that  when  we  parted  ftom 
the  hard  ice,  we  had  seven  seals  in  store,  and  one  that 
we  took  dead,  which  was.  j?onsume,di  ,withaiit.eop$!ultilG^g 
how  it  had  died.       ^m  ">?.  [.,..>.. .,«r.,^jT  .     -%l 

0"!,  We  were  next  reduced  to  short  allowance,  having  only 
one  among  us  to  serve  two  days,  which,  with  about 
three  ounces  of  flour,  mixed  with  water,  and  boiled  in 


Ui 


MfiMAftKAltB  8B1PWRB0KS. 


the  fat  of  the  seal,  was  all  our  provision.  At  length  we 
were  obliged  to  share  both  foet  and  skin,  each  of  us  al-> 
lowing  a  Tittle  fat  to  make  a  fire.  But  being  constrained 
to  eat  the  whole,  skin  and  bone  also,  scarcely  boiled,  in- 
jured our  stomachs  so  much,  that  soma  of  our  number 
died,  and  T  r .  ywlf  suffered  severely. 

On  getting  clear  of  th^  loose  ice,  if  the  wind  was  so 
adverse  af^ to  prevent  our  rowing,  we  made  fast  the  boat 
to  an  islaiid  of  lee  until  better  weather.  Although  this 
sheltered  us,  we  were  often  in  great  danger,  from  the 
islands  driving  foul  of  us,  so  that  it  was  wonderful  we 
escaped.  "'•  .^uiim  «.«   uluttv.-t  tuf   .A^jm'ti  tr.w  .'»;u  ^lu  >^/. 

We  drank  the  ice 'mftred  with  Wat>dy ;  and  our  pro- 
visions, with  good  management,  lasted  until  our  coming 
ashore,  for  it  pleased  God  to  save  some  of  us  by  taking 
others  to  himself.  Our  companions  began  to  die  two  or 
three  in  a  day,  until  we  were  at  last  reduced  to  nine. 

The  feet  of  several  who  died  were  bit  in  such  a  man- 
ner by  the  frost,  that,  on  stripping  them,  which  was 
done  to  give  the  clothes  to  the  survivors,  their  toes  came 
away  with  the  stockings.  The  last  who  died  was  the 
boatswain,  who  lived  until  the  day  before  we  saw  land. 

Our  compass  was  broken  by  the  last  field  of  ice  through 
which  we  passed,  and  soon  after  we  lost  our  water- 
bucket,  which  was  used  fo?  bailing.  Our  course  was 
directed  by  the  sun  in  the  day-time,  and  the  stars  by 
Bight. 

^  Though  many  other  accidents  befel  us,  it  pleased  the 
Lord  to  bring  us  safe  to  land,  after  passing  twenty-eight 
days  in  the  boat. 

On  the  24th  of  April,  we  arrived  at  Baccalew,  and 
thence  repaired  to  the  bay  of  Y^rds,  in  Newfoundland, 
where  we  found  three  men  providing  for  a  fishhig  voy- 
age, Ivho  carried  us  to  th^ir  house,  and  gave  ns  such 
things  as  they  had.  But  they  being  indifferently  stored, 
and  uniible  to  maintain  us,  we  determined  to  go  to  St. 
John's,  notwithstanding  some  of  us  were  so  much  frost- 
bit, as  td'be  obliged  to  be  carried  to  the  boat.  Before 
getting'ld  cape  St.  Francis,  however,  the  wind  veered  to 
Uie  southtrest,  which  compelled  us  to  row  all  night.    In 


*y} 


I 


'^ 


I    ' 


^■■'W 


rt',.v>rt«fi'  -'  i(fcat*-. 


'^  '' 


4. 


'■;jifS# 


H'^H^^ 


m 


Mt 


i*P 


and 


*  f^*  ^U 


> 


<«»' 


I  ;?•' 


v.**^^-^ 


^^ 


(jfmnJl^'^m-^^tf&m'^^i^mir 


it- 


.)lnM\UHjt 


%"-     '"W 


■    •..,f" 


•'.■ » 

jv; 

r^i 

^ 

1 

•  • 

^ 

.'«  ;* 


«s"i»,>..  ««(^.».'*V!  f  5^8"'».4ijt.w-»jr  i-i«'?^^J^,4st>  ; f'i.,rj.'r.p»i^^^"' i   .■ .    '.      >' 


■tj^,f&-l 


LOSS  or  THB  MVUkB  TBAN8P0RT. 


966 


'J 

■  *  *^ 


\ 


the  morning  we  reached  Portugal  Cove,  where  to  our 
unspeakable  joy,  some  men  were  found  preparing  (cr  the 
summer's  fishing.  They  showed  us  so  much  ciinpis- 
sion  as  to  launch  a  boat,  and  tow  us  over  to  Belleirle, 
and  there  we  wore  conr    ously  received.     All  were  an 

shore  on  men '^  shoulders 


weak  that  we  were  cai 
and  we  were  besides  ^c 
and  the  oil  of  seals,  thnt 
us  as  men,  except  for    ., 
mained  ten  days,  when, 
went  to  St,  John's.    Thu 


toured  with  hunger,  cold, 
opie  could  hardly  recognise 
hnpe.  At  Belleisle  we  re- 
somewhat  recruited,  we 
J  lii  all  this  extremity,  God 
miraculously  preserved  nine  out  of  ninety-six  that  Were 
m  the  ship. 


#■ 


LOSS  OP  THE  iENEAS  TRANSPORT. 

The  iBneas  transport  sailed  with  three  hundred  and 
forty-seven  souls  on  board,  including  a  party  of  men  be- 
longing to  the  100th  regiment  of  foot,  as  also  some  offi- 
cers, together  with  several  women  and  children.  About 
four  in  the  morning  of  the  23d  of  October,  1805,  the  ves- 
sel struck  violently  on  a  rock,  and  received  such  damage 
that  her  total  wreck  soon  became  evident  to  all  on  board. 
For  the  first  few  minutes  after  this  alarming  occurrence, 
the  women  and  children  clung  to  their  husbands  and  fa- 
thers ;  but  in  a  short  time,  a  prodigious  wave  swept  not 
less  than  two  hundred  arid  fifty  of  those  miserable  peo- 
ple into  the  ocean.  The  rock  whereon  the  vessel  had 
struck,  speedily  forced  its  way  through  the  decks,  and 
then  it  appears,  from  her  parting,  thirty-five  of  the  sur- 
vivors were  driven  on  a  small  island  before  eight  in  the 
morning,  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant,  but  -when 
she  had  entirely  gone  to  pieces. 

The  narrative  of  these  events  was  collected  from  one 
of  the  survivors,  a  soldier  of  the  100th  regiment,  who 
could  give  no  correct  account  of  how  he  and  the  others 
got  ashor'"  but  he  supposed  they  were  floated  in  by  part 
of  the  wreck.  He  remembered  to  have  observed  one  of 
23  # 


S  ,t 


^, 


^>  \:^  1^^ 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I.I 


1.25 


UK 

u 


2.2 
2.0 


1I& 

U    |L6 


-    6" 


V^V    ^ 

%> 


fliolDgra{iiic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


23  WBT  MAIN  STMIT 

WISSTH,N.Y.  14310 

(716)I72-4S03 


'<^ 


s 


\ 


;-s:   -MJ^^w 


■  1  MfOtkWKkflLi  fiHIPWlBOKS. 


ike  boys  endeavoring  to  save  major  Bertram,  whose  arm 
was  broken  by  some  timber,  and  he  was  on  the  point  of 
■inking ;  he  held  him^  dp  as  long  as  his  strength  per- 
mitted; but  to  save  his  own  life,  was  forced  to  let  go 
his  hold,  and  the  major  perished. 

The  thirty-five  men  who  gained  the  Shore,  consisted 
of  part  of  the  regiment,  two  of  whom  were  officers,  lieu- 
tenant Dawson  and  ensign  Faulkner,  and  seven  sailors. 
Immediately  on  landing,  the  wind  unfortunately  chang- 
ed, so  that  not  an  article  of  any  kind  was  saved  from 
the  wreck.  Mr.  Faulkner  was  aware  of  the  real  situa- 
tioff  they  had  reached,  judging  the  main-land,  which 
they  saw  about  a  mile  distant,  to  be  NewfoundUuad,  and 
that  they  were  about  three  hundred  miles  distant  from 
the  town  of  St.  John's. 

After  passing  one  night  on  the  little  island,  they  con- 
structed a  raftj  by*  means  of  which,  thirty  of  Uiem  arriv- 
ed on  the  mam-land.  Previous  to  this,  however,  fdur 
survivors  of  Uie  shipwreck  had  died,  among  whom  was 
the  poor  fellow  who  had  endeavored  to  save  major  Ber- 
tnm.  Anodier,  who  had  both  his  le^  broken,  was  miss- 
ing, as  he  had  crawled  away  from  his  comrades,  that  he 
might  die  in  quiet  But,  eight  days  afterwards,  he  was 
found  alive,  though  in  a  shocking  state,  as  his  ieet  were 
frozen  off.  Yet  ho  survived  all  this,  and  reached  Que- 
beis  at  a  future  period.  Most  of  the  party  set  out,  leav- 
ing Uiree  behind  them,  who  were  unable  to  walk  from 
bruises,  and  directed  their  course  towards  the  rising 
sun;  but  when  the  first  day  had  elapsed,  lieutenant 
IHwson  became  incapable  of  keeping  up  with  the  re- 
mainder ;  and  two  soldiers  staid  to  attend  him.  These 
three  toiled,  onwards  without  any  food,  except  the  ber- 
ries which  they  fi>imd;  and  lieutenant  Dawson  was 
tdMii  unable  to  stand,  unless  supported.  On  reaching  the 
banks  of  a  river,  one  of  the  soldiers  attempted  to  carry 
Aim  across  on  his  back ;  but  having  waded  up  to  the 
neck,  he  was  obliged  to  return,  and  lay  him  down  on 
the  bank.  There  Mr.  Dawson  entreated  his  faithful  at- 
tendants to  make  the  best  of  t^eir  way,  and  leave  him  to 
his  fate ;  and  at  the  same  time,  affectionately  squeezingf 


If 


^if? 


s 
e 

f 
t 

t 


# 


•■», 


rTrfl 


B 


X' 


mr 


V 


"•ItJA 


LOSS  OF  TBI  .BNBAS  TBAMSPOBT. 


9or 


their  hands,  he  entreated  them  to  inform  hia  father  of 
his  melancholy  end.  Here  the  soldier,  who  was'^e  of 
them,  and  who  related  these  affecting  incidents,  burst 
into  a  flood  of  tears  before  he  could  nroceed.  "  We  staid 
with  him,"  said  he,  '*  until  we  did  not  know  whether 
he  was  alive  or  dead." 

The  two  survivors  continued  'wandering  in  a  weak 
and  feeble  state  for  twelve  days  longer,  making  twenty- 
six  ip  all  from  the  period  of  their  shipwreck,  and  sub- 
sisting on  what  they  could  find  on  a  barren  and  inhos- 
pitable !and.  But  after  the  first  four  or  five  days,  they 
suffered  no  hunger,  for,  as  they  themselves  said,  their 
misfortunes  wei^e  so  great  as  to  banish  its  influence,  and 
to  deprive  them  of  the  sense  of  feeling.  The  snow  be- 
sides was  so  deep  during  the  last  two  days,  as  to  prfr* 
vent  them  from  getting  the  berries  as  usual. 

At  last  they  were  found  by  a  man  belonging  to  a  hunt- 
ing party,  who,  little  suspecting  to  see  human  beings  in 
that  desolate  region,  took  them,  at  a  distance,  for  deer, 
and  had  concealed  himself  behind  a  fallen  tree,  with  hh 
gun  pointed  towards  one  of  them,  when  his  dog,  leaping 
towards  them,  began  to  bark,  and  showed*his  error. 
When  they  related  their  shipwreck,  and  the  suflerings 
they  had  endured,  tears  stole  down  the  cheeks  of  the 
huntsman,  and,  taking  the  moccasins  from  his  feet,  gave 
them  lO  the  poor  miserable  creatures.  He  invited  them 
to  his  hunting-cabin^  saying  it  was  only  a  mile  off,  though 
the  real  distance  was  at  least  twelve  miles ;  but,  by  de- 
grees, he  enticed  them  to  proceed,  and  at  length  they 
gained  it.  On  approaching  the  hut,  four  or  five  men 
came  out  with  long,  bloody  knives  in  their  hands,  when 
the  narrator,  turning  to  his  conirade,  exclaimed,  ''After 
all  we  have  escaped,  are  we  brought  Here  to  be  butcher- 
ed and  ate  up  V  But  they  soon  discovered  tfr  sir  mistake, 
for  the  men  had  been  cutting  up  some  deer,  the  frui^  of 
their  chase ,  and  the  appearance  of  the  unfortunate  sol- 
diers quickly  excited  sentiments  of  pity  in  their  breast, 
they  produced  a  bottle  of  rum  wherewith  they  were  re- 
freshed. ^ 

Every  possible  comfort  was  ministered  by  the  hunteBp:;^^ 


A-,  ■. 


■»»>■"'"•  "'"'' 


to  the  unfoftunate  wanderers,  and,  from  the  account! 
and  dftcription  given  to  them,  they  set  out  in  quest  of 
the  others.  They  luckily  succeeded  in  finding  the  man 
who  remained  the  first  day  on  the  island,  and  also  the 
other  two  who  were  unable  to  leave  the  riiore. 

Those  two  men  who  had  accompanied  lieutenant 
Dawscm,  appeand  to  hAv«  made  but  little  progress  dur- 
ing twenty-six  days  of  travelling,  for  .they  were  disco- 
vered in  a  place  not  very  remote  from  whence  they  set 
Otttelij  Thus,  involved  among  the  woods,  they  must  have 
returned  over  the  same  ground  that  they  had  passed. 

Tliose  whom  the  huntsman  first  met  endeavored  to 
make  them  understand  where  they  might  find  the  re- 
maina  of  lieutenant  Dawson,  and  ensign  Faulkner,  and 
his  psity,  but  they  could  sf^ak  too  vaguely  of  where 
they  had  themselives  been,  to  give  any  pointed  directions 
on  tbe  subject  But  two  of  die  latter  were  found  by  a 
man  on  another  hunting  excursion,  about  ninety  miles 
distant,  apparently  lifeless ;  though  on  being  carried  to 
an  adjacent  settlement  they  recovered.  Of  the  whole 
thirty-five  who  survived  the  wreck  of  the  transport,  ac- 
counts could  be  heard  only  of  these  five. 

Ensign  Faulkner  was  a  strong,  active,  enterprising 
man,  and  fully  capable  of  adopting  whatever  means 
could  be  devised  for  preservation.  Both  he  and  lieuten- 
ant Dawson,  who  was  scarce  more  than  seventeen  years 
of  age,  were  of  the  greatest  promise  While  the  trans- 
port lay  about  three  miles  from  Portsmouth,  tboy  are 
said  to  have  swiun  to  the  ship,  when  the  former  climbed 
up  her  side,  but  the  latt(*r  was  nearly  exhausted. 

A  brig  from  Port,  which  touchea  at  Newfoundland, 
carried  nve  of  the  survivors  from  thence  to  Quebec ;  and 
when  they  arrived  there  in  the  barrack-square,  a  most 
afiecting  scene  ensued.  Men  and  women  eagerly  flock- 
ed axcund  them,  with  anxious  inquiries  for  some  friend 
ot  brother  who  was  on  board  the  ill-fated  vessel.  But 
all  they  could  answer  was,  "  If  you  do  not  see  him  here, 
be  assured  he  has  perished;  for,  of  three  hundred  and 
forty-seven  souls,  we  five  Irish  lads  and  two  sailors 
axe  aH  that  ronain  alive."  The  tears  and  exclamatior  s 
following  these  words  can  scarce  be  described. 


. 


W^ 


( 

1 
t 
c 

§ 

a 
t 
d 
s 


.awmitmrftm  tum> 


'■  i'-:*,i^ 


'im 


|ijj>ttj*>''plrsilM>*»'' 


LOSS  OP  THE  NAUTILUS  SLOOP  OP  WAR,^' 
On  a  rock  in  the  Arck^s^go,  '^ 

A  MisuNDERSTANMNo  having  originated  between  the 
60urt  of  Great  Britain  and  the  Ottoman  Porte,  a  power* 
ful  squadron  was  ordered  to  proceed  to  Constantinople, 
for  the  purpose  of  enforcing  compliance  with  rational 
propositions.  The  object,  however,  proved  abortive; 
and  the  expedition  terminated  in  a  way  which  did  not 
enhance  the  reputation  of  these  islands  in  the  eyes  of  the 
Turks. 

Sir  Thomas  Louis,  commander  of  the  squadron  sent  to 
Dardanelles,  having  charged  captain  Palmer  with  des- 
patches of  the  utmost  importance  for  England,  the  Nauti- 
lus got  under  weigh  at  daylight  on  the  third  of  January, 
1807.  A  fresh  breeze  from  north-east  carried  her  rapidly 
out  of  the  Hellespont,  passing  -the  celebrated  castles  in 
the  Dardanelles,  which  severely  galled  the  British. 
Soon  afterwards  she  passed*  the  island  of  Tenedos,  off 
the  north  end  of  which,  two  vessels  of  war  were  seen  at 
anchor ;  they  hoisted  Turkish  colors,  and  in  return  the 
Nautilus  showed  those  of  Britain.  In  the  course  of  this 
day,  many  of  the  other  islands  abounding  in  the  Greek 
Archipelago  came  in  sight,  and  in  the  evening,  the  ship 
approached  the  island  of  Negropont,  lying  in  38  30  north 
latitude,  and  24  8  east  longitude;  but  now  the  naviga- 
tion became  more  intricate,  from  the  iilcreasing  number 
of  islands,  and  from  the  narrow  entrance  between  Ne- 
gropont and  the  island  of  Andros. 

The  wind  still  continued  to  blow  fresh,  and  as  night 
was  approaching,  with  the  appearance  of  being  dark 
and  squally,  the  pilot,  who  was  a  Greek,  wished  to  lie 
to  until  morning,  which  was  done  accordingly ;  and  at 
daylight  the  vessel  again  proceeded.  His  course  was 
shap^  for  the  ialand  Falconera.  in  a  track  whio*i  has 
23*  ^  f 


''^i 


■#s^ 


870 


BIMAmKABLl  8HIPWBK0KS. 


been  so  elegantly  described  by  Falconer,  in  a  poem  as 
'  far  surpassing  the  uncouth  productions  of  modern  times, 
as  the  Ionian  temples  surpassed  those  flimsy  structures 
contributed  to  render  the  fame  of  the  originals  eternal. 
This  island,  and  that  of  Anti  Milo,  were  made  in  the 
evening,  the  latter  distant  fourteen  or  sixteen  miles  from 
the  more  extensive  island  of  Milo,  which  could  not  then 
be  seen,  from  the  thickness  and  haziness  of  the  weather. 

The  pilot  never  having  been  beyond  the  present  posi- 
tion of  the  Nautilus,  and  declaring  his  ignorance  of  the 
further  bearings,  now  relinquished  his  charge,  which 
was  resumed  by  the  captain.  All  possible  attention  was 
paid  to  the  navigation ;  and  captain  Palmer,  after  seeing 
Falconera  so  plainly,  and  anxious  to  fulfil  his  mission 
^  with  the  greatest  expedition,  resolved  to  stand  on  during 
the  night  He  v(^s  confident  of  clearing  the  Archipelago 
by  morning,  and  himself  pricked  the  course  from  the 
chart  which  was  to  be  steered  by  the  vessel.  This  he 
pointed  out  to  his  coxswain,  George  Smith,  of  whose 
ability  he  entertained  i  high  opinion.  Then  he  ordered 
his  bed  to  be  prepared,  not  having  had  his  clothes  ofiTfor 
the  three  preceding  nights,  and  having  scarce  had  any 
sleep  from  the  time  of  leaving  the  Dardanelles.       4  ^^^' ' 

A  night  of  extreme  darkness  followed,  with  vivid 
lightning  constantly  flashing  in  the  horizon;  but  this 
circumstance  served  to  inspire  the  captain  with  a  greater 
degree  of  confidence ;  for  being  enabled  by  it  to  see  so 
much  further  nt  intervals,  he  thought,  that  should  the 
ship  approach  any  land,  the  danger  would  be  discovered 
in  sufficient  time  to  be  avoided. 

The  wind  continued  still  increasing ;  and  though  the 
ship  carried  but  little  sail,  she  went  at  the  rate  of  nine 
miles  an  hour,  being  assisted  by  a  lofty  following  sea, 
which  with  the  brightness  of  the  lightning,  made  the 
night  particularly  awfuL  At  half  past  two  in  the  morn- 
ing, high  land  was  distinguished,  which  those  who  saw 
it  supposed  to  be  the  island  of  Cerigotto,  and  thence 
thought  all  safe,  and  that  every  danger  had  been  left  be- 
hind. The  sllip's  course  was  altered  to  pass  the  island, 
8pd  she  ocmtiiiued  on  her  course  until  half  past  four,  at 


f 


^^"'■*1''' 


'•mi. 


LOSS  OF  THV  NAUTILUS  SLOOP  09  WAB. 


271 


H:-'^- 


the  changing  of  the  watch,  when  the  man  on  the  look- 
out exclaimed,  "  breakers  ahead !"  and  immediately  the 
vessel  struck  with  a  most  tremendous  crash.  Such  was 
tho  violence  of  the  shock,  that  people  were  thrown  from 
their  beds,  and,  on  coming  upon  deck,  were  obliged  to 
cling  to  the  cordage.  All  was  now  confusion  and 
alarm ;  the  crew  hurried  on  deck,  which  they  had  scarce 
time  to  do  when  the  ladders  below  gave  way,  and  in- 
deed left  many  persons  struggling  in  the  water,  which 
already  rushed  mto  the  under  part  of  the  ship.  The 
captam  it  appeared  had  not  gone  to  bed,  and  immedi- 
ately came  pn  deck  when  the  Nautilus  struck ;  there 
having  examined  her  situation,  he  immediately  went 
round,  accompanied  by  his  second  lieutenant,  Sir.  Nes- 
bit,  and  endeavored  to  quiet  the  apprehenrions  of  the 
people.  He  then  returned  to  his  cabin,  and  burnt  his 
papers  and  private  signals.  Meantime  every  sea  lifted 
up  the  ship,  and  then  dashed  her  with  irresistible  force 
on  the  rocks ;  and  in  a  short  time,  the  crew  were  obliged 
to  resort  to  the  rigging,  where  tney  remained  an  hour, 
exposed  to  the  surges  incessantly  breaking  over  them. 
There  they  broke  out  into  the  most  lamentable  exclama- 
tions, for  their  parents,  children,  and  kindred,  and  the 
distresses  they  themselves  endured.  The  weather  was 
so  dark  and  hazy,  that  the  rocks  could  be  seen  only  at  a 
very  small  distance,  and  in  two  minutes  afterwards  the 
ship  had  struck. 

^cJlt  this  time  the  lightning  had  ceased,  but  the  dark- 
ness of  the  night  was  such,. that  the  people  could  not 
see  the  length  of  the  ship  from  them ;  their  only  hope 
rested  in  the  falling  of  the  main-mast,  which  they  trust- 
ed would  reach  a  small  rock,  which  was  discovered 
very  near  them.  Accordingly,  about  half  an  hour  be- 
fore daybreak,  the  main-mast  gave  way,  providentially 
falling  towards  the  rock,  and  by  means  of  it  they  weie 
enabled  to  gain  the  land. 

The  struggles  and  confusion  to  which  this  incident 
gave  birth,  can  better  be  conceived  than  described ;  some 
of  the  crew  were  drowned,  one  man  had  his  arm  broke, 
^nd  many  were  cruelly  lacerated ;  but  captain  l^lmnr 


■^i '}j:  :. '  ihLi. 


.i.-i- 


m 


SniAIKABLB  SHIPWRECKS. 


>  sr.''j".1 


-#' 


refused  to  auit  his  station,  while  any  individual  remain- 
ed on  J)edra ;  and  not  until  the  whole  of  his  people  had 
gained  the  ibck,  did  he  endeavor  to  save  himself.  At 
that  time,  in  consequence  of  remaining  by  the  wreck,  he 
had  received  considerable  personal  injury,  and  must  in- 
fallibly have  perished,  had  not  some  of  the  seamen  ven- 
tured through  a  tremendous  sea  to  his  assistance.  The 
boats  were  staved  in  pieces ;  several  of  the  people  en- 
deavored^ to  haul  in  the  jolly-boat,  which  they  were  in- 
ca^ble  of  accomplishing. 

The  hull  of  the  vessel  being  interposed,  sheltered  the 
shipwrecked  crew  a  long  time  from  the  beating  of  the 
surf;  but  as  she  broke  up,  their  situation  became  more 
perilous  every  moment,  and  they  soon  found  that  they 
should  be  'obliged  to  abandon  the  small  portion  of  the 
rock,  which  they  had  reached,  and  wade  to  another,  ap- 
parently somewhat  larger.  The  first  lieutenant,  by 
watching  the  breaking  of  the  seas,  had  got  safely  thither, 
and  it  was  resolved  by  the  rest  to  follow  his  example. 
Scarce  was  this  resolution  formed,  and  a,ttempted  to  be 
put  into  execution,  when  the  people  encountered  an  im- 
mense quantity  of  loose  spars,  which  were  immediately 
washed  into  the  channel  which  they  had  to  pass ;  but 
necessity  would  admit  of  no  alternative.  Many  in  cross- 
ing between  the  two  rocks  were  severely  wounded ;  and 
they  suffered  more  in  this  undertaking  than  in  gaining 
the  first  rock  from  the  ship.  The  loss  of  their  shoes  was 
now  felt  in  particular,  for  the  sharp  rocks  tore  their  feet 
in  a  dreadful  manner,  and  the  legs  of  some  were  covered 
with  blood. 

Daylight  beginning  to  appear,  disclosed  the  horrors  by 
which  those  unfortunate  men  were  surrounded.  The 
sea  was  covered  with  the  wreck  of  their  ill  fated  ship; 
jnany  of  their  unhappy  comrades  were  seen  floating 
away  on  spars  and  timbers;  and  the  dead  and  dying 
were  mingled  together  without  a  possibility  of  the  sur- 
▼ii^rs  affording  assistance  to  any  that  might  still  be  res- 
ted. Two  short  hours  had  been  productive  of  all 
his  misery,  the  ship  destroyed  and  her  crew  reduced 
io  a  situation  of  despair.    Their  wild  and  affrighted 


'■<^. 


1 


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km^ 


'■■Wt' 


>.»  1  V^ .  .-.^j^,.^*^Sfi^Jit.  ^ 


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N^&>£r*i.5?^''«««^^»^K^-T^ir'^^^?^' 


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.1     m 


•^fr" 


is."  > 


.'J^ 


LOSS  OP    TW  MAUTIbUS  SLOOP  OP   WAR. 


sra 


looki  indicated  the  seiisationB  by  which  they  were  agt-  % 
toted ;  tbut  on  being  recalled  to  a  sense  of  their  real  eon* 
ditipn,  they  saw  that  they  had  nothing  left  but  resigna- 
tion to  the  will  of  Heaven. 

The  shipwrecked  mariners  now  discoT^red  that  they 
were  cast  away  on  a  coral-rook  almost  level  with  the 
water  about  three  or  four  hundred  yards  long,  and  two 
hundred  broad.  They  were  at  le^t  twelve  miles  froin 
the  nearesft  islands,  which  were  afterwards  fcAind  to  be 
those  of  Cerigotto  and  Pera,  on  the  north  end  of  Candia, 
^bout  thirtv  miles  distant.  At  this  time  it  was  reported 
that  a  small  boat,  wivh  several  men,  had  escaped ;  and 
although  the  fact  was  true,  the  uncertainty  oi  her  fate 
induced  those  on  the  rock  to  confide  in  being  reljleved  by 
any  vessel  accidentally  passing  in  sight  of  a  signal  of  dis- 
tress they  had  hoisted  on  a  long  polej  the  neighboring 
island!  oeing  too  distant. 

The  weaUier  had  been  extremely  cold,  and  the  day 
preceding  the  shipwreck,  ice  had  lain  on  the  deck ;  now, 
to  resist  its  mclemency,  a  fire  was  made,  by  meafis  of  a 
knife  and  a  flint  preserved  in  the  pocket  of  one  of  the 
sailors;  and  with  much  difficulty,  some  damp  powder, 
from  a  small  barrel  washed  on  snore,  was  kindled.  A 
kind  of  tent  was  next  made,  with  pieces  of  old  cuivass, 
boards,  and  such  things'as  could  be  got  about  the  wreck, 
and  the  people  were  thus  enabled  to  dry  the  few  clothes 
they  had  saved.  But  they  passed  a  long  and  comfort- 
less ni^ht,  though  partly  consoled  with  the  hope  of  their 
fire  bemg  descried  m  the  dark,  and  taken  for  a  signal  of 
distr^s.    Nor  was  this  hope  altogether  disappointed. 

When  the  ship  first  struck,  a  small  whale-boat  was 
hanging  over  the  quarter,  into  which,  an  oflicer,  George 
Smith,  the  coxswain,  and  nine  men,  immediately  got, 
and  lowering  themselves  into  the  water,  happily  escap*- 
ed.  After  rowing  three  or  four  leagues  agamst^  very 
high  sea,  and  the  wind  blowing  hard,  they  reached  the 
small  island  of  Pera.  This  proved  to  be  scarce  a  mile 
in  circuit,  and  containing  nothing  but  a  few  sh^p  and 
^oats,  belouging  to  the  inhabitants  of  Cerigo,  who  cobM 
m  the  summer  months  to  cany  away  their  yojung. 


■# 


*.*^jf* 


r4 


^)  I"      ■IMAEKABLB  tHIPWBIOKg.      *^^^ 


Thef  con  Id  find  no  fresh  water,  except  a  small  residue 
from  rain  in  the  hole  of  a  lock,  and  that  was  barely  suf- 
ficient though  most  sparingly  used.  During  the  nidit, 
having  observed  the  fire  above-mentioned,  the  party  oe- 
gan  to  conjecture  that  some  of  their  shipmates  mi.ht 
have  heen  saved,  for  until  then,  they  haa  deemed  their 
destruction  inevitable.  The  coxswain,  impressed  with 
this  opinion^  proposed  again  hazarding  themselves  in  the 
boat  vox  their  relief,  and,  although  some  feeble  objections 
were  ofiered  against  it,  he  continued  resolute  to  his  pur- 
pose, and  persuaded  four  others  to  accompany  him. 

About  nine  in  the  morning  of  Tuesday,  the  second 
day  of  the  shipwreck,  the  approach  in  the  little  whale- 
boat  was  descried  by  those  on  the  rock ;  all  uttered  an 
exclamation  of  joy,  and  in  return,  the  surprise  of  the  cox- 
swain and  his  crew  to  find  so  many  of  their  shipmates 
still  surviving  is  not  to  be  described.  But  the  surf  ran 
so  high  as  to  endanger  the  safety  of  the  boat,  and  seve- 
ral of  the"  people  imprudently  endeavored  to  get  into 
it.  The  coxswain  tried  to  persuade  captain  Palmer  to 
come  to  him,  but  he  eteadily  refused,  saying,  "No, 
^nith,  save  your  unfortunate  shipmates,  never  mind 
me."  After  some  little  consultation,  he  desired  him  to 
take  the  Greek  pilot  on  board,  and  make  the  best  of  his 
wa^  to  Cerigotto,  where  the  pilot  said  there  were  some 
families  of  fishermen,  who  doubtless  would  relieve  their 
necessities. 

But  it  appeared  as  if  Heaven  had  ordained  the  des- 
truction oi  this  unfortunate  crew,  for,  sorni  after  the  boat 
departed,  the  wind  began  to  increase,  and  dark  clouds 
gathering  around,  excited  among  those  remaining  be- 
hind, all  their  apprehension|  for  a  firightful  storm.  In 
about  two  hours  it  commenced  with  the  greatest  fury ; 
the  Waves  rose  considerably,  and  soon  destroyed  the 
fire.  They  nearly  covered  the  rock,  and  compelled  the 
men  to  fly  to  the  highest  part  for  refuge,  which  was  the 
only  one  that  could  afford  any  shelter.  There,  nearly 
ninety  people  passed  a  night  of  the  greatest  horror :  and 
the  only  means  of  preventing  themselves  from  oeing 
swept  away  by  the  surf,  which  every  moment  broke 


• 


L088  OF  TBI  NAUTILUS  SLOOP  OF  WAR. 


87i    - 


over  them,  was  by  a  small  rope  fastened  round  the  sum- 
mit of  the  rock,  and  with  difficulty  holding  on  by  each 
other. 

The  fatiffues  which  the  people  had  previously  under- 
gone, added  to  what  they  now  endured,  proved  too  over- 
powering to  many  of  their  number ;  several  became  de- 
lirious ;  their  strength  was  exhausted,  and  they  could 
hold  on  no  longer.  Their  afflictions  were  still  furthet- 
aggravated  by  an  apprehension  that  the  wind,  veering 
inore  to  the  north,  would  raise  the  sea  to  their  present 
situation,  in  which  case  a  single  wave  woula  have 
swept  them  all  into  oblivion. 

The  hardship^  which  the  crew  had  already  suffered 
were  sufficient  to  terminate  existence,  and  many  had 
met  with  deplorable  accidents.  One  in  particular,  while 
crossing  the  channel  between  the  rocks  at  an  unsuita- 
ble time,  was  dashed  against  them  so  as  to  be  nearly 
fcalped,  and  exhibited  a  dreadful  spectacle  to  his  crm- 
panions.  He  lingered  out  the  night,  and  next  morning, 
expired.  The  more  fortunate  survivors  were  but  ill  pre- 
pared to  meet  the  terrible  effects  of  famine ;  tneir 
strength  enfeebled,  their  bodies  unsheltered,  and  aban- 
doned by  hope.  Nor  were  they  less  alarmed  for  the  fato 
of  their  boat.  The  storm  came  on  before  she  could  have 
reached  the  intended  island,  and  on  her  safety,  their  own 
depended.  But  the  scene  which  daylight  presented  wae 
still  more  deplorable.  The  survivors  behdd  the  corpses 
of  their  departed  shipmates,  and  some  still  in  the  ago- 
nies of  death.  They  were  themselves  altogether  ex- 
hausted, from  the  sea's  all  nisht  breaking  over  them,  and 
the  >  inclemency  of  the  weather,  which  was  such,  that 
many,  among  whom  was  the  carpenter,  pe|uihed  from 
excessive  cold.  ♦ 

But  this  unfortunate  crew  had  now  to  suffer  a  morti- 
fication, and  to  witness  an  instance  of  inhumanity,  whicb 
leaves  an  eternal  stain  of  infamy  on  those  who  merit 
the  reproach.  Soon  after  day  broke,  they  observed  a 
vessel  with  all  sail  set,  coming  down  before  the  wind, 
steering  directly  for  the  rock.  They  m»de  every  possi- 
ble signal  of  distress  which  their  feeble  condition  ad- 


-*#. 


•' 


-^J'TTJASr    '^ftT 


"■•44.;:"'.       t   j-'.-r^/.ir     -T\t     : 
BKMABKABLB   SHIPWRECKS. 


t-tiO.l 


mitted,  nor  without  effect,  for  they  were  at  last  seen  hy 
the  vessel,  which  bore  to  and  hoisted  out  her  boat.  The 
joy  which  this  occasioned  may  be  easily  conceived,  for 
nothing  short  of  immediate  relief  was  anticipated ;  and 
they  hastily  made  preparations  for  rafts  to  carry  them 
through  the  surf,  confident  that  the  boat  was  provided 
with  whatevfr  might  administer  to  their  necessities. 
Approaching  still  nearer,  she  canie  within  pistol-shot, 
full  of  men  dressed  in  the  European  fashion,  who  after 
having  gazed  at  them  a  few  minutes,  the  person  who 
steered,  waved  his  hat  to  them  and  then  rowed  off  to  his 
ship.  The  pain  of  the  shipwrecked  people  at  this  bar- 
barous proceeding  was  acute,  and  heightened  even  more, 
by  beholding  the  stranger  vessel  employed  the  whole 
day  in  taking  up  the  floating  remains  of  that  less  fortu- 
nate one  which  had  so  lately  borne  them. 

Perhaps  the  abandoned  wretches  guilty  of  so  unfeeling 
an  act  may  one  day  be  disclosed,  and  it  would  surely 
excite  little  compassion  to  learn  that  they  suffered 
that  retribution  which  such  inhuman  conduci  me- 
rits. That  people  dressed  in  the  habit  of  Englishmen, 
though  belonging  to  a  different  nation,  could  take  ad- 
vantage of  misery  instead  of  relieving  it,  will  scarce 
seem  creditable  at  the  present  day,  were  not  some  in- 
stances of  a  similar  nature  related  elsewhere  than  in 
these  volumes. 

After  this  cruel  disappointment,  and  bestowing  an 
anathema  which  the  barbarity  of  the  strangers  deserved, 
t^e  thoughts  of  the  people  were,  during  the  remainder  of 
the  day,  directed  towards  the  return  of  the  boat ;  and 
being  disappointed  there  also,  their  dread  that  she  had 
been  lost  Was  only  further  confirmed.  They  began  to 
yield  to  despondency,  and  had  the  gloomy  prospect  of 
certain  death  before  them.  Thirst  then  became  intolera- 
ble; and  in  spite  of  being  warned  against  it  by  instances 
of  the  terrific  effects  ensuing,  some  in  desperation  re- 
sorted to  salt  water.  Theiip  companions  had  soon  the 
grief  of  learning  what  they  would  experience  by  follow- 
ing their  example ;  in  a  few  hours,  raging  maaness  fol- 
lowed, and  nature  could  struggle  no  longer. 


'# 


LOSS  Of  THB  NAUTILUS  8L001P  dF  WAB. 


m 


''':  Another  avrfnl  night  was  to  be  passed,  yet  the  wea- 
ther being  tionsideraDly  more  moderate,  the  snlTerets  en- 
tertained hopes  that  it  would  be  less  disastrous  than  the 
one  precedmg;  and  to  preserve  themi$elves  from  the 
cold,  they  crowded  close  together  and  covered  themselves 
with  their  few  remaining  rags.  ,  But  the  ravings  of  their 
comrades  who  had  drank  salt  water,  were  tnily  horrible ; 
all  endeavors  to  quiet  them,  were  ineffectual,  and  the 
power  of  sleep  lost  its  influence.  In  the  middle  of  the 
night  they  were  unexpectedly  hailed  by  the  cre\n{  of  the 
whale-boat;  but  the  only  object  of  the  people  on  the 
rock  was  water ;  they  cried  out  to  their  shipmates  for  it, 
though  in  vain.  Earthern  vessels  only  <  oi  ild  have  been 
procured,  and  these  would  not  bear  being  conveyed 
through  the  surf  The  coxswain  then  said  they  should 
be  taken  off  the  rock  by  a  fishing-vessel  in  the  morning, 
and  with  this  assurance  they  were  forced  to  be  content. 
It  was  some  consolation  to  know  that  the  boat  was  safe, 
and  that  relief  had  so  far  been  obtained. 

All  the  people  anxiously  expected  morning,  and,  for 
the  first  time  since  being  on  the  rock,  the  sun  cheered 
them  with  its  rays.  Still  the  fourth  morning  came  and 
no  tidings  either  of  the  boat  or  vessel.  The  anxiety  of 
the  people  increased,  for  inevitable  death  from  famine, 
was  staring  them  in  the  face.  What  were  they  to  do 
for  self-preservation  ?  The  misery  and  hunger  which 
they  endured,  were  extreme  j.  they  were  not  ignorant  of 
the  means  whereby  other  unfortunate  mariners  in  the 
like  situation  had  protracted  life,  yet  they  viewed  them 
with  disgust.  Still  when  they  had  no  alternative,  they 
considered  their  urgent  necessities  and  found  them  af- 
fording some  excuse.  Offering  prayers  to  Heaven  for 
forgiveness  of  the  sinful  act,  they  selected  a  yotmg  man 
who  had  died  the  preceding  night,  and  ventured  to  ap- 
pease their  hunger  with  human  flesh. 

Whether  the  people  were  relieved  is  uncertain ;  for  to- 
wards evening,,  death  had  made  ha6ty  strides  amohj^ 
them,  and  many  brave  men  drooped  under  their  hard- 
ships. Among  these  were  the  captain  land  first  lieuten- 
ant, two  meritorious  officers ;  and  thte  ittHieki  iilencvnoiv 
24 


978 


^^,^    IIBIUBKABLB  8HIPWBBCKS.     .^,j 


preseryed  by  the  surviyors,  showed  the  state  of  their  in- 
ternal feelings.  Captain  Palmer  was  in  the  twenty-sixth 
year  of  his  age ;  amidst  his  endeavors  to  comfort  those 
under  his  command,  his  companions  in  misfortune,  his 
I>ersonal  injuries  were  borne  with  patience  and  resigna^ 
tion,  and  no  murmurs  escaped  his  lips ;  his  virtuous  life 
was  prematurely  closed  by  the  overwhelming  severities 
of  the  lamentable  catastrophe  he  had  shared. 

D^ng  the  course  of  another  tedious  night,  many 
su^esteu  the  possibility  of  constructing  a  raft  which 
might  carry  the  survivors  to  Cerigotto ;  and  the  wind 
being  favorable,  might  enable  them  to  reach  that  island. 
At  all  events,  attempting  this  seemed  preferable  to  re- 
maining on  the  rock  to  expire  of  hunger  and  thirst.  Ac- 
cordingly, at  daylight  they  prepared  to  put  their  plan  in 
execution.  A  number  of  tne  larger  spars  were  lashed 
together,  and  sanguine  hopes  of  success  entertained. 
At  length  the  moment  of  launching  the  raft  arrived,  but 
it  was  only  to  distress  the  people  with  new  disappoint- 
ments, for  a  few  moments  sufficed  for  the  destruction  of 
a  work  on  which  the  strongest  of  the  party  had  been  oc- 
cupied hours.  Several  from  this  unexpected  failure  be- 
came still  more  desperate,  and  five  resolved  to  trust 
themselves  on  a  few  small  spars  slightly  lashed  together, 
and  on  which  they  had  scarce  room  to  stand.  Bidding 
their  companions  adieu,  they  launched  out  into  the  sea, 
where  they  were  speedily^  carried  away  by  unknown 
currents,  and  vanished  forever  from  sight. 

Towards  the  same  afternoon,  the  people  were  again 
rejoiced  by  the  sight  of  the  whale-boat,  and  the  cox- 
swain told  them  that  he  had  experienced  great  difficulty 
in  prevailing  on  the  Greek  fishermen  of  Cerigotto  to  ven- 
ture in  their  boats,  from  dread  of  the  weather.  Neither 
would  they  permit  him  to  take  them  unaccompanied  by 
themselves ;  he  regretted  what  his  comrades  had  endur- 
ed, and  his  grief  at  not  being  able  yet  to  relieve  them, 
but  encouraged  them  with  hopes,  if  the  weather  remain- 
ed fine,  that  next  day  the  boats  might  come.  While  the 
coxswain  spoke  this,  twelve  or  fourteen  men  imprudently 
plunged  from  ^  rock  into  the  sea,  and  very  nearly 


LOSS  OF  THE  NAUTILUS  SLOOP  OF  WAR. 


27^, 


4 


^ 


leached  the  boat  Two,  indeed,  got  so  far  as  to  be  tak-; 
en  in;  one  was  drowned,  and  the  rest  proYidentially  re-] 
covered  their  former  station.  Those  who  thus  escaped 
could  not  but  be  envied  by  their  companions,  while  they 
reproached  the  indiscretion  of  the  others,  who,  had  they 
reached  the  boat,  would  without  all  doubt  have  sunk 
her,  and  thus  unwittingly  consigned  the  whole  to  irre-, 
mediable  destruction. 
The  pjeople  were  wholly  occupied  in  reflections  o^he 

Sassing  incidents ;  but  their  weakness  increased  a Ah6( 
ay  elapsed ;  one  of  the  survivors  described  himself  as 
feeling  the  approach  of  suinihilation,  that  his  sight  failed, 
and  his  senses  became  confused ;  that  his  strength  was 
exhausted,  and  his  eyes  turned  towards  the  setting  sim^° 
under  the  conviction  that  he  should  never  see  it  rise 
again.  Yet  on  the  morning  he  survived,  and  he  was 
surprised  that  Providence  willed  it  should  still  be  so,  as 
several  strong  men  had  fallen  in  the  cours<e  of  the  night. 
While  the  remainder  were  contemplating  their  forlorn 
condition,  and  judging  this  the  last  day  of  their  lives, 
the  approach  of  the  boats  was  unexpectedly  announced. 
From  the  lowest  ebb  of  despair,  they  were  now  elated 
with  the  most  extravagant  joy ;  and  copious  drauehts 
of  water,  quickly  landed,  refreshed  their  languid  bodies. 
Never  before  did  they  know  the  blessings  which  the 
single  possession  of  water  could  afford;  it  tasted  more 
delicious  than  the  finest  wines.  '  '  '^     ^^^  "J 

Anxious  preparations  were  made  for  immediate  $f^ 
parture  from  a  place,  which  had  been  fatal  to  so  many 
unhappy  sufferiers.  Of  one  hundred  and  twenty-two 
persons  on  board  the  Nautilus  when  she  struck,  fifty- 
eight  had  perished,  Eighteen -were  drowned,  it  was 
supposed,  at  the  moment  of  the  catastrophe,  and  one  in 
attempting  to  reach  the  boat ;  five  were  lost  on  the  small 
raft,  and  thirty-four  died  of  famin'e.  About  fifty  now 
embarked  in  our  fishing  vessels,  and  landed  the  same 
evening  at  the  island  of  Oerigotto,  making  altogether 
six'ty-four  individuals,  including  those  who  escaped  in 
the  whale-boat.  Six  days  had  been  passed  on  the  rock, 
nor  had  the  people,  during  that  tii|ie,  received  any  «»• 


4Sf 


juyf  to  nanpt  m. 


m»: 


'Vji   s*s^.l 


it-- 


Stance,  excepting  fircNdd  (he  human  flesh  of  whieh  they 
hA4  participated 

.  The  surviTQrs  landed  at  a  small  creek  in  the  island' 
of  Cerigotto^  alter  which  they  bad  to  go  to  a  coh^iderahle 
distance  hefore  reaching  the  dwellii^jgs  of  their  friends. 
Their  first  care  was  to  send  for  ihe  ihaster's  mate,  who 
had  escaped  to  the  island  of  iPoiii,  istad  had  heeh  ,Ieft  he- 
hind  wtien  the  whale-hoat  cpime  down  to  the  rock.  He 
api^piis  companions  had  exhausted  all  the  fresh  water^ 
hut  lived  on  the  sheep  and  goats,  which  they  caught 
among  the  rocks,  an^  had  ^nank  their  hlood.  There 
they  had  remained  in  a  state  of  great  uhcertainty  con- 
cerning the  fate  of  those  who  tiad  left  them  in  the  boat. 

Though  the  Gretas  could  not  aid  the  seamen  in  the 
care  of  their  wounds,  they  treated  them  With  great  care 
and  hospitality ;  Ihut  medical  assistance  being  important, 
from  the  pain  the  sufiereis  endured,  and  hairing  nothing 
to  bind  up  their  wounds  but  shirts  which  they  tore  into 
h{uidages,f  they  wert  eager  to  reach  Cerigo.  The  island 
of  jperigottp,  where  they  had  landed,  was  a  dependency 
en  0ie  otlier,  about  fifteen  miles  long,  ten  broad,  and  of 
ahairren  and  unproductive  soil,  with  little  cultivation. 
T^yq^lveoT  fourteen  families  of  Greek  fishermen  dwelt  up- 
on it, ^9^^®  pilot  had  said,  who  were  in  a  state  of  ext 
trejne  p«>verty.  Their  houses,  or  rather  huts,  consisting 
of  one  or  two  rooms  on  the  same  floor,  Were,  in.  general 
h^ih  a^inst  the  side  of  a  rock;  the  walls  composed  of 
clay  and  straw,  and  the  roof  supported  by  a  tree  in  th« 
centre  of  the  dwelling.  Their  ibod  was  a  coarse  kind 
of  bread,  formed  of  l^oiled  pease  and  flour,  which  was 
ma.de  into  a  kind  erf  paste  for  the  strangers,  with  once  01 
twice  a  bit  of  kid ;  and  that  was  all  which  they  could 
expect  from  their  deliverers.  But  they  made  a  liquor 
from  c^n,  which  having  an  agreeable  flavor^/^and  being 
a  strong  spirit,  was  drank  with  avidity  by  the  sailors. 

lOerigp  was  about  twenty-five  miles  distant,  and  there,  • 
^ivas  also  said,  an  English  consul  resided.    Eleven 
cbys  ^lapsed,'  however,  hefore  the  crew  cotild  leave  Oeri- 
gpttb,  from  the  d^culty  of  tiersuading  tihe  Gti^ks  t6 
mdventure  to  sea,  in  iheir  frail  ttarks,  dunng  tetnpefttnbttv 


LOSS  OF  THE  NAUTILUS  SLOOP  OF  WAS. 


281 


weather.  The  wind  at  last  proving  fair,  with  a  smooth 
sea,  they  bade  a  grateful  adieu  to  the  families  of  their 
deliverers,  who  were  tenderly  affected  by  their  distresses, 
and  Shed  tears  of  regret  when  they  departed.  In  six  or 
eight  hours,  they  reached  Cerigo,  where  they  were  re- 
ceived with  open  arms.  Immediately  on  arrival,  they 
were  met  by  the  English  vice-consul,  Signor  Manuel 
Caluci,  a  native  of  the  island,  who  devoted  his  house, 
bed,  credit,  and  whole  attention  to  their  service ;  an4l|the 
survivor^  unite  in  declaring  their  inability  to  express  the 
obligations  under  which  he  laid  them.  The  governor, 
commandant,  bishop,  and  principal  people,  all  showed 
equal  hospitality,  care,  and  friendship,  and  exerted 
themselves  to  render  the  time  agreeable ;  insomuch  that 
it  Was  with  no  little  regret  that  these  shipwrecked  mari- 
ners thought  of  forsaking  the  island.  # 
>  After  the  people  had  remained  three  weeks  at  Cerigo, 
they  learnt  that  a  Russian  ship  of-war  lay  at  anchor 
off  the  Morea,  about  twelve  leagues  distant,  being  driven 
in  by  bad  weather,  and  immediately  sent  letters  to  her 
commanding  officer,  narrating  their  misfortunes,  and  so- 
liciting a  passage  to  Corfu.  The  master  of  the  Nautilus 
determined  to  make  the  most  of  the  opportunity,  took  a 
boat  to  reach  the  Russian  vessel ;  but  he  was  at  first  "so 
unfortunate  as  to  be  blown  on  the  rocks  in  a  heavy  gale 
of  wind,  where  he  nearly  perished,  and  the  boat  was 
staved  in  pieces.  However,  he  luckily  got  to  the  ship, 
and  after  some  difficulty,  succeeded  in  procuring  the  de- 
sired passage  for  himself  and  his  companions  to  Corfu. 
Her  connnander,  to  accommodate  them,  came  down  to 
Cerigo,  and  anchored  at  a  small  port  called  St.  Nicholas, 
at  the  easrtern  extremity  of  the  island.  The  English  em- 
barked oli  the  5th,  but,  owing  to  contrary  winds,  did  not 
sail  undi  ^e  15th  of  February,  when  they  bad^  faiewell 
to  their  friends,  lliey  next  touched  at  Zante,  ano^er 
small  island,  abounding  in  currants  and  olives ;  the  oil 
fra«B^e  latter  of  which  constitutes  the  chief  riches  of 
the  j^ople.  After  remaining  there  four  days,  they  sailed 
for  «*'Tfu,  where  they  arrived  on  the  2d  of  March,  1807, 
nearly  two  months  after  the  date  of  their  8hipwrick«  ^ 
24* 


'^ 


jm» 


rae^^'ilt.  10  Mo:> 


■,i(gm  a  !4'WK  .ii*^...^#P*«i*t!r^  !!%jfti  M  W*%'- «**f' ' 


v.^ 


LOSS  OF  HIS  B.  MAJESTY'S  SHIP  AMPHION. 


■f.iW» 


The  Amphion  frigate,  Captain  Israel  PeUow,  after  hay- 
ing cruised  some  time  in  the  North  Seas,  bad  at  length 
received  an  order  to  join  the  squadron  of  frigates  com- 
manded by  Sir  Edward  Fellow.  She  was  on  her  passage, 
when  a  hard  gale  of  wind  occasioning  some  injury  to 
the  fore-mast,  obliged  her  to  put  back  into  Plymouth, 
off  which  place  she  then  was.  She  accordingly  came 
into  the  Sound,  anchored  there  on  the  19th,  and  went  up 
into  harbor  the  next  morning. 

On  the  22d,  at  about  half  past  four  P.  M.,  a  violent 
shock,  as  of  an  earthquake,  was  felt  at  Stont>-house,  and 
extended  as  far  off  as  the  Royal  hospital  and  the  town  of 
Plymouth.  The  sky  towar<u  the  Dock  appeared  red, 
like  the  effect  of  a  fire ;  for  near  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  the 
cause  of  this  appearance  could  not  be  ascertained,  though 
the  streets  were  crowded  with  people  running  difiieiieiit 
ways  in  the  utmost  consternation.  •«  ^ 

When  Uie  alarm  and  confusion  had  somewhat  sub- 
sided, it  first  began  to  be  known  that  the  shock  had  been 
occasioned  by  the  explosicm  of  the  Amphion.  Several 
bodies  and  mangled  remains  were  picked  up  by  the  boats 
in  Harn^oaze ;  and  their  alacrity  on  this  occasicm  wits  par- 
ticularly remarked  and  highly  commended.  The  few 
who  remained  alive  of  the  crew  were  conveyed,  in  a 
mangled  statej  to  the  Royal  Hospital.  As  the  frigate  was 
originally  manned  from  Plymouth,  the  friends  and  rela* 
tions  of  her  unfortunate  ship's  company  mostly  hved  in 
the  neighborhood.  It  is  dreadful  to  rdate  what  a  scene 
took  place-r-amis,  legs  and  lifeless  trunks,  mwigled  and 
disfigured  by  gunpowder,  were  collected  and  deposited 
at  the  hospital,  having  been  brought  in  sacks  to  be  own- 
ed. Bodies  still  living,  some  with  the  loss  of  Junhs, 
others  having  expired  as  they  were  being  conveyed  Ihith- 
er;  men,  women  and  children,  whose  sons,  husbands^ 
and  &thera  were  among  the  unhappy  number^  flockiny 


LOSS  OP  HIS  MAJMTT'I  SHIP  AMTmON. 


round  the  gates,  entreating  admittance.  During  the  first  ' 
evening  nothing  was  ascertained  concerning  the  cause  of 
this  event,  Uiough  numerous  reports  were  mstantly  cir- 
culated. The  few  survivors,  who,  by  the  following  da.y^ 
had,  in  some  degree,  regained  the  use  of  their  senses, 
could  not  give  the  least  account.  One  man  who  was 
brought  alive  to  the  Royal  Hospital,  died  before  night, 
another  before  the  following  morning  j  the  boatfiwain  ana 
one  of  the  sailors  appeared  likely,  with  great  care,  Ukdo 
well.  Three  or  four  men  who  were  at  work  in  the  tops, 
were  blown  up  with  them,  and  falling  into  the  water, 
were  picked  up  with  very  little  hurt.  These,  with  the 
two  before  mentioned,  and  one  of  the  sailors,  wives,  were 
supposed  to  lie  the  only  survivors,  besides  the  captain  and 
two  of  the  lieutenants. 

j|  The  following  particulars  were,  however,  collected 
from  'the  examination  of  several  persons  before  Sir 
Richard  King,  the  port-admiral,  and  the  information  pro- 
cured from  those,  who  saw  tiie  explosion  from  the  Dock. 
%'  The  first  person  known  to  have  observed  any  thing 
was  a  young  midshipman  in  the  Cambridge  guard-ship, 
lying  not  far  distant  firom  the  place  where  the  Amphipo 
blew  up ;  who  having  a  great  desire  to  observe  every 
thing  relative  to  a  prcnession  into  which  he  had  just  en- 
tered, was  looking  through  a  glass  at  the  frigate,  as  she 
lay  along  side  of  the  sheer-hulk,  and  was  taking  in  her 
bowsprit.  She  was  lashed  to  the  hulk ;  and  me  Yar- 
mouth, an  old  receiving  ship,  was  lying  on  the  opp<^ 
site  side,  quite  close  to  her,  and  both  within  a  few  yards 
of  the  Dock-yard  jetty.  The  midshipmanHaid,  that  the 
Amphion  suddenly  appeared  to  rise  altogether  upright 
from  the  surface  of  the  water,  until  he  nearly  saw  ^e 
~  keel ;  the  explosion  then  succeeded ;  the  masts  seemed  tii: 
be  forced  up  into  the  air,  and  the  hull  instantly  to  sink.* 
All  this  passed  in  the  space  of  two  minutes.  ' 

The  man  who  stood  at  the  Dock-yard  stairs,  said,  that 
the  first  he  heard  of  it  was  a  kind  of  hissing  noise,  and; 
tlien  followed  the  explosion,  when  he  beheld  the  masf^' 
blown  up  into  the  air.  It  was^ery  strondy  reported 
that  oeveral  windows  were  biokeh  in  Ae  Dodt  iff  th4' 


''^,..'r.s;;«.j=,_ 


MiMWmmMUML^  aHirWKBOKt. 


iimd 


•XpiosioQ,  and  that  in  the  Dock-yard,  much  mischief  was 
doae  by  the  Amphioa's  guns  soingoff  when  she  blew  up ; 
s         hui  though  the  shook  was  felt  as  far  off  as  Plymouth, 
^        imd  at  Btone-house,  enough  to  shake  the  windows,  yef 
it  is  a  wonderful  and  miraculous  fact,  that  surrounded 
Hi       ss  she  was  in  the  harbor,  with  ships  olose  along-side  oi 
the  jetty,  /md  lashed  to  another  vessel,  no  damage  was 
done  to  any  thing  but  herself.    It  is  dreadful  to  reflect, 
^       that  owing  to  their  intention  of  putting  to  sea  the  next 
day,  there  were  nearly  one  hundred  men,  women  and 
children,  more  than  her  complement  on  board,   taking 
leave  of  their  friends,  besides  the  company  who  were  at 
two  dinners  given  in  the  ship,  one  of  which  was  by  the 
<]iaptain. 
Captain  Israel  Pellow,  and  captain  William  Swaffield, 
^     of  his  Majesty's  ship  Overyssel,  who  was  at  dinner  with 
him  and  ti^e  first  lieutenant,  were  drinking  thoir  wine : 
when  the  &tat  explosion  threw  Uiem  off  tl^ir  seats,  ana 
struck  them  against  the  carlings.of  the  upper  deck,  so  as 
to  stun  them.    Captain  Pellow,  however,  had  sufficient  * 
presence  of  mind  to  fly  to  the  calan- windows,  and  see- 
mg  the  two  hawsers,  one  slack  in  the  bit  and  the  other 
taut,  threw  himself  with  an  amazing  leap,  which  he  af- 
terwards said,  nothing  but  his  sense  of  danger  could 
have  enabled  -him  to  take,  upon  the  latter,  and  hy  that 
means  saved  himself  from   the  general    destructicm, 
though  his  face  had  been  badly  cut  against  the  eariings, 
when  he  was  thrown  from  his  seat    The  first  lieiitenant 
saved  himself  in  the  same  manner,  by  jumping  out  of 
the  window,  and  by  being  also  a  remarkably  gotxl  swim* 
v;   mer;  but  captain  Swaffield,  being,  as  it  was  'supposed, 
morestjmnea,  did  not  escape.    lus  body  was  f(mnd  on 
the  twenty-second  of  October,  with  his  skull  fractured^ 
appearing  to  have  been  crushed  between  the  odes  of  the 
vessels. 

The  sentinel  at  the  cabin  door  happened  to  be  looking 
at  his  watch ;  how  he  escaped  no  one  can  tell,  not  even 
himself.  He  was,  however,  brought  on  shore,  and  butt 
little  hurt;  the  firat  thing  he  felt  was,  that  his  watch  wa^ 
dlished  out  cf  his  hands,  after  which  ha  was  no  Isuget) 


.*','  • 


L088  OP  ■!•  MAJMTT  f  IBIP  iMPlnON. 


MDiible  of  \rhat  happened  to  him.  The  boatswain  vnd 
standing  on  the  cat-head;  the  bowsnrit  had  been  stepped 
for  three  hours ;  the  gammoning  and  every  thing  on;  and 
he  was  directing  the  men  in  rigging  oiit  the  jibMboom, 
when  suddenly  he  Mt  himself  cunTen  upwards  and  fell 
into  the  sea.  He  then  pereeired  that  he  was  entansled 
-in  the  risging,  and  had  some  trouble  to  get  clear;  when 
being  taken  up  by  a  boat  belonging  to  one  of  the  men  of 
war,  they  found  that  his  arm  was  broken.  One  of  the' 
surviving  seamen  declared  to  an  officer  of  tank,  that  he 
was  preserved  in  the  foUowhig  truly  astonishing  manner: 
— He  was  below  at  the  time  the  Amphion  blew  up,  and 
went  to  the  bottom  of  the  ship ;  he  recollected  that  ne  had 
a  knife  in  his  pocket,  and  taking  it  out,  out  his  wav 
Uirougfa  the  companion  of  the  ^n-room,  which  Was  al- 
ready shattered  with  the  explosion;  then  letting  himself 
ap  to  the  surface  of  the  water,  he  sWaih  unhnrt  to  the 
4hore.  He  allowed  his  knife  to  the  officer,  and  declared 
ae  had  ueen  under  water  full  five  minutes. 

It  was  likewise  said,  that  one  of  the  sailor's  wives  had 
1^  young  child  in  her  arms ;  the  fright  of  the  shock  madef 
her  take  such  fasi  hold  of  it,  that  though  the  upper  part 
of  her  body  alone  remainedj  the  child  was  found  alive, 
locked  fast  in  her  arms,  and  likely  to  do  well. 

Mr.  SpiTi  &n  auctioneer  who  had  Ions  lived  in  great 
respectability  at  Dock,  with  his  son  and  sod-son,  had 
gone  on  board  to  visit  a  friend,  and  were  all  lost. 

About  half  an  hour  before  the  frigate  blew  up,  one  of 
her  lieutenants,  and  lieutenant  Oampbell  of  the  marines, 
and  some  of  the  men  got  into  the  boat  at  the  dock-yard 
stairs,  and  went  off  to  the  ship.  Lieutenant  Campbell 
had  some  business  to  transact  at  the  Marine  barracks  itt 
the  morning,  and  lionthiuing  there  some  time,  was  en- 
^ged  by  the  officera  to  stay  to  dinner  and  spend  the 
evening  with  them.  Some  persons,  however,  who  had,' 
in  the  interval,  come  firom  the  Amphion,  informed  lieu- 
tenant Campbell  therewere  som^  letters  on  board  for  him.| 
As  they  were  some  which  he  was  extremely  anxious  to* 
receive,  he  left  the  barracits  about  half  an  hour  bfsfbre 
dinner  to  fetch  them^  intending  to  return  immediKtely;' 


I  I 


bat  while  be  was  on  board,  the  ship  blew  up.  He  was  a 
young  man  universally  respected  and  lamented  by  the 
corps,  as  well  as  by  all  who  knew  him.  One  of  the  lieu- 
tenants who,  lost  his  life  was  the  only  support  of  an  aged 
mother  and  sister,  who»  at  his  death,  had  neither  friend 
nor  relation  left  to  comfort  and  protect  them.  The  num- 
ber of  people  who  were  afterwards  daily  seen  at  Dock,  in 
deep  moumipg  for  their  lost  relatives,  was  truly  melan- 
choly. 

Captain  Pellow  was  taken  up  by  the  boats  and  carried 
to  the  Commissioner  Fanshaw's  house,  in  tha  dock-yard, 
▼erv  weak  with  the  exertions  he  had  made,and  so  diockea 
with  the  distressing  cause  of  them,  that  he  at  first  appeared 
scarcely  to  know  where  he  was,  or  to  be  sensible  of  his 
situation.  In  the  course  of  a  day  or  two,  when  he  was 
a  little  recovered,  he  was  removed  to  the  house  of  a 
friend.  Dr.  Hawker  of  Plymouth.  «ti    •  >  ,' 

Sir^chard  King  had  given  a  public  dinner  in  honov 
of  the  coronation.    Captain  Charles  Rowley,  of  the  Unite 
frigate,  calling  in  the  morning,  was  engaged  to  siay,  and  * 
excusMl  himself  from  dining,  as  he  had  previously  in-' 
tended,  on  board  the  Amphion. 

Captain  Darby  of  the  Bellerophon,  was  also  to  have 
dined  with  captain  Pellow,  and  had  come  round  in  his 
boat  from  Cawsand  Bay ;  but  having  to  transact  some 
business  concerning  the  ship  with  Sir  Richard  King,  it  de^ 
tained  him  half  an  hour  Icnger  at  Stone-house  than  he 
expected.  He  had  just  gcme  down  to  the  beach,  and  was 
stepping  into  the  boat  to  proceed  up  to  Harmoaze  when 
he  heard  the  fatal  explosion.  Captain  Swaffield  was  to 
have  sailed  the  next  day,  so  that  the  difference  of  twenty 
four  hours  would  have  saved  tibat  much  lamented  and 
truly  valuable  officer.  His  brother,  Mr.  J.  Swaffield,  of 
the  Pav-Office,  being  asked  to  the  same  dinn»,  had  set 
off  with  him  from  Stone-house,  but  before  he  had  reached 
the  Dock,  a  person  came  after  him  upon  business,  which 
obliged  him  to  return,  and  thus  saved  him  from  sharing 
his  brother's  untimely  fate.  / 

Many  conjectures  were  formed  concerning  the  cause 
of  this  catastrqfkhe.    Some  conceived  it  to  be  owmg  to 


LOSS  or  ■!■  MUnTT's  flilP  AttPUON. 


9» 


negieeti  as  the  men  were  employed  in  drawinff  tne  gnns, 
and  contrary  to  rule,  had  not  extin^ished  all  the  fireti 
though  the  dinners  were  ove^.  This,  however,  the  first 
lieutenant  declared  to  be  impossible,  tts  they  could  not 
be  drawing  the  guns,  the  key  of  the  magazine  hanging, 
to  his  certain  knowledge,  in  his  cabin,  at  the  time.  Some 
of  the  men  likewise  declared  that  t^e  guns  were  drawn 
in  the  Sound,  before  they  came  to  Harmoaze.  It  was  also 
insinuated,  Uiat  it  was  done  intentionally,  as  several  of 
the  bodies  were  afterwards  found  without  clothes,  as  if 
they  had  prepared  to  jump  overboard  before  the  ship 
could  have  time  to  blow  up.  As  no  mutiny  had  ever  ap- 
peared in  the  ship,  it  seems  unlikely  that  such  a  desperate 
plot  should  have  been  formed,  without  any  one  who  sur»> 
vived,  ha  vine  the  least  knowledge  of  it.  It  is,  besides,  a 
woU-known  factj  that  in  almost  every  case  of  shipwrecl^ 
where  there  is  a  chance  of  plunder  there  are  wretches  so 
destitute  of  the  common  feelings  or  humanity  as  to  hover 
round  the  scene  of  horror,  in  hopes,  by  stripping  the 
bodies  of  the  dead,  and  seizing  whatever  they  can  lay 
their  hands  on,  to  benefit  themselves. 

It  was  the  fore-magazine  Which  took  fire ;  had  it  been 
the  after  one,  much  more  damage  must  have  ensued. 
The  moment  the  explosion  was  heard.  Sir  Richard  arose 
from  dinner,  and  went  in  his  boat  on  board  the  hulk, 
where  the  sight  he  beheld  was  dreadful ;  the  deck  covered 

vith  blood,  mangled  limbs  and  entrails  blackened  with 
gunpowder,  the  shreds  of  the  Amphion's  pendant  a«d 
riggmg  hanging  about  her,  and  pieces  of  her  ediiMteniil 
timbers  strewed  k\l  around.  Some  people  at  dinner  in  Im 
Yarmouth,  though  at  a  very  small  distance,  declared  that 
the  report  they  heard  did  nSt  appeKI'  to  be  louder  thaii 
the  firing  of  a  cannon  from  the  Cambridge,  which  thev 
imagined  it  to  be,  and  had  never  risen  from  dinner,  till 
the  confusion  upon  deck  led  them  to  think  that  some  ac- 
cident had  happened. 

,  At  low  water,  the  next  day,  about  a  fbot  and  a  half  of 
one  of  the  masts  appeared  above  water ;  and  for  eteveral 
days,  the  dock-yard  men  were  employed  in  collecting  the 
shattered  masts  and  yards,  and  dragging  out  what  they 


■s 


8M 


.>Nr>tn'»BlMAMIABLI  &FXPWnOK9,       iu\i 


could  procure  from  the  ^xrreck.  On  the  twenty-mnth, 
part  ofthe  fore-chains  was  hauled,  shattered  and  splin- 
tered, also  the  h^d  and  cut- water. 

On  the  3rd  of  October,  an  attempt  was  made  to  raise 
the  AmphioQ,  between  the  two  frigates,  the  Castor  and 
Iphigenia,  which  were  accordingly  moored  on  each  side 
of  her ;  but  nothing  could  be  sot  up,  excepting  a  few 
pieces  of  the  ship,  one  or  two  of  her  guns,  some  of  the 
men's  chests,  chairs,  and  part  of  the  furniture  of  the 
cabin.  Some  bodies  floated  out  from  between  decks, 
and  amonff  the  rest  a  midshipman's.  These,  and  all 
that  could  be  found,  were  towed  round  hy  boats  throush 
Stone-house  bridse,  up  to  the  Royal  Hospital  stairs,  to  oe 
interred  in  the  burymB-ground.  The  sight  for  many 
weeks  was  truly  dreadful;  the  change  of  tide  washing 
out  the  putrid  bodies,  which  were  towed  round  by  the 
boats  when  they  would  scarcely  hold  together. 

Bodies  continued  to  be  found  so  late  ao  the  30th  of 
November,  when  the  Amphion  having  been  dragged 
round  to  another  part  of  the  dock-yard  jf'^'ts  to  be  broken 
up,  the  body  of  a  woman  was  washed  '  ut  from  between 
decks.  A  sack  was  also  dragged  uu,  containing  gun- 
powder, covered  over  at  the  top  with  biscuit,  and  this 
m  some  measi^re  confirmed  an  idea  which  had  before 
gained  ground,  that  the  cunner  had  been  stealing  powder 
-to  sell^  and  had  concealed  what  he  could  ^t  oi\t  by  de- 
grees, in  the  above  manner;  and  that,  thmkin^  himself 
safe  on  a  day  when  every  one  was  entertaming  his 
friends,  he  had  carelessly  been  among  the  sunpo^Rrder 
without  taking  the  necessary  precautions.  As  he  was 
paid  to  have  l^nseen  at  Dock  very  mr^^h  in  liquor  in 
the  morning,  it  seems  probdble  that  this  might  have  beep 
the  cause  of  a  calamity  as  sudden  as  it  was  dreadful. 


.*- 


■^■m 


'n< 


LOSS  01    V^KE  HELEN  McGREGOR. 


i-*il*t^ 


fJt-^ 


Thb  following  is  a  description,  by  a  passepger^  of  one 
of  the  most  fatal  steam-boat  disasters  that  has  ever  og- 
Gurred  on  the  western  waters. 


\ 
I 
c 
i 
I 
I 
1 

1 
I 


1^%-. 


?i' 


-i'- 


LOM  or  TU  iraAM-BOAT  ■BLBN  r    '>KIGOK. 


"On  the  morning  of  the  24th  of  Vi  ^ruary,  •  30,  lh« 
Helen  M'Gregoc  stopped  at  Memphie,  on  the  MiMiaaippi 
river,  to  deliver  freight,  and  land  a  numler  of  pasaengers, 
who  resided  in  that  section  of  Tennessee.  The  time 
occupied  in  so  doing  could  not  have  exceeded  tliree 
quarters  of  an  ho'ir.  When  the  boat  landed,  I  went 
ashore  to  sc^  .ditleman  with  whom  I  had  some  busi- 
ness. I  ^' u  ''  :'r  oU  the  beach,  and  after  a  short  con-  ^ 
versat'oi.  i  rv.tame)  to  the  boat.  I  recollect  looking  at  my 
watch  ab  1  ^  3ed  the  gang- way.  It  was  half  past  eight 
o*c)'  -  A  gioat  number  of  persons  were  standing  on 
HMii.  u  18  called  the  boiler-deck,  being  that  part  of  the  up- 
per deck  situated  immediately  over  the  boilers.  It  was 
crowded  to  excess,  and  preeented  one  dense  mass  of  hu- 
man bodies.  In  a  few  minutes  we  sat  down  to  breakfast 
in  the  cabin.  The  table,  although  extending  the  whole 
lecigth  of  the  cabin,  was  comptetely  filled,  there  being 
upwards  of  sixty  cabin  passeneers,  among  whom  were 
several  ladies  and  children.  The  number  of  passengers 
on  board,  deck  and  cabin  united,  was  between  four  and 
five  hundred.  I  had  almost  finished  my  breakfast,  WhMi 
the  pilot  rang  his  bell  for  the  engineer  to  put  the  machi- 
nery in  motion.  The  boat  having  just  shoved  ofi^  I  was 
in  the  act  of  raising  my  cup  to  my  lips,  the  tingling  of  the 
pilot  bell  yet  on  my  ear,  when  I  heard  an  explosion,  re- 
sembling the  discharge  of  a  small  piece  of  artillery — the.gM^- 
report  was  perhaps  louder  than  usual  in  such  cases,  for  an'^^ 
exclamation  was  half  uttered  by  me  that  the  gun  was  well 
loaded,  when  the  rushing  sound  of  steam,  and  the  rat- 
tling of  glass  in  some  of  the  cabin  windows,  checked  my 
speech  and  told  teo  well  what  had  occurred.  I  ahnost 
fn-roiintaiiiy  bent  my  head  and  body  down  to  the  floor 
— d  vague  idea  seemed  to  shoot  across  my  mind  that 
more  than  one  boiler  might  burst,  and  that  by  assuming 
this  posture,  the  destroying  matter  would  pass  over  with- 
out touching  me. 

The  seneral  cry  of  "  a  boiler  has  burst"  resounded  from 
one  end  of  the  table  to  the  other;  and,  as  if  by  a  simul- 
taneous movement,  all  started  on  their  feet.  Then  com- 
menced a  general  race  to  the  ladiee*  cabin,  whi(^  lay  more 


\ 


390 


■  n^o^u. 


BOURKABLB  BBIPWBEOKt. 


•.'!•,>  .1 


h 


i 


towards  the  stern  of  the  boat.  All  regard  to  order  or 
deference  to  sex  seemed  to  be  lost  in  the  struggle  fot 
which  should  be  first  and  farthest  removed  from  the 
dreaded  boilers.  The  danger  had  already  passed  away  1 
I  remained  standing  by  the  chair  on  which  I  had  been 
previously  sitting.  Only  one  person  or  two  staid  in  the 
cabin  with  me.  As  yet  no  more  than  half  a  minute  had 
elapsed  since  the  explosion ;  but,  in  that  brief  space  how 
had  the  scene  changed !  In  that  '*  drop  of  time''  what 
confusion,  distress  and  dismay !  An  instant  before,  and 
all  were  in  the  quiet  repose  of  security — another,  and 
they'  were  overwhelmed  with  alarm  and  consternation. 
It  is  but  justice  to  say  that  in  this  scene  of  terror,  the 
ladies  exhibited  a  degree  of  firmness  worthy  of  all  praise. 
No  screaming,  no  tainting ;  their  fears,  when  uttered, 
were  for  their  husbands  and  children,  not  for  themselves. 
I  advanced  ^om  my  position  to  one  of  the  cabinnloors, 
for  the  purpose  of  inquiring  who  were  injured,  when  just 
as  I  reached  it,  a  man  entered  at  the  opposite  one,  both  his 
hands  covering  his  face,  and  exclaiming  "  Oh  God,  Oh 
Qod !  I  am  lost !  I  am  ruined  !"  He  immediately  began 
to  toar  off  his  clothes.  When  stripped,  he  presented  a 
most  shocking  and  afflicting  spectacle ;  his  face  was  en* 
tirely  black — ^his  body  without  a  particle  of  skin.  He 
had  been  flayed  alive.  He  gave  me  his  name,  and  place 
^H^of  abode — Aen  sank  in  a  state  of  exhaustion  and  agony 
l|ron  the  floor.  I  assisted  in  placine  him  on  a  mattrass 
:.  ken  firom  one  of  the  berths,  and  covered  him  with 
blankets.  He  complained  of  heat  and  cold  as  at  once 
oppressing  him.  He  bore  his  torments  with  manly  for- 
titude, yet  a  ccmvulsive  shriek  would  occasionally  burst 
from  him.  His  wife,  his  children,  were  his  constant 
theme ;  it  was  hard  to  die  without  seeing  them — "  it  was 
hard  to  go  without  bidding  them  one  farewell !"  Oil  and 
cotton  were  applied  to  his  wounds ;  but  he  soon  became 
insensible  to  earthly  misery.  Before  I  had  done  attend- 
ing to  him,  the  whole  floor  of  the  cabin  was  covered  with 
unfortunate  sufferers.  Some  bore  up  under  the  horrors 
of  their  situation  with  a  degree  of  resolution  amounting 
to  heroiam.    Others  were  wholly  oveicome  by  tha  sense 


/)*'  - 


LOSS  OF  THB  STSAM-BOAT  HfiLSN  M'oRBGOIU 


A    i*" 


was 
Uand 

;ame 
ttend- 

with 

>Tror8 
knting 

sense 


f 

of  pain,  the  suddenness  of  the  disaster,  and  the  near  ap*^ 
proach  of  death,  which  even  to  them  was  evident— 
whose  pangs  they  already  f«lt.  Some  implored  us,  as  an 
act  of  humanity,  to  complete  the  work  of  destruction, 
and  free  them  from  present  suffering.  One  entreated  the 
presence  of  a  clergyman  to  nray  by  him,  declaring  he 
was  not  fit  to  die.  I  inquired ;  none  could  be  had.  On 
every  side  were  to  be  hoard  groans -and  mingled  excla- 
mations of  grief  and  despair.    uii>:a,&i  »«^w  I  -.miim^  Mtl 

To  add  to  the  confusion,  persons  were  every  m^xnent 
running  about  to  learn  the  fate  of  their  friends  and  rela- 
tives, fathers,  sons,  brothers ;  fcur,  in  this  scene  of  un* 
myced  calamity,  it  was  impossible  to  say  who  were 
saved,  or  who  had  perished.  The  countenances  of  many 
were  so  much  disngured  as  to  be  past  recogniti<«k.  My 
attention,  after  some  time,  was  particularly  dra^m  to- 
wards a  poor  fellow  whr  ,ay  unnoticed  on  the  floor, 
without  uttering  a  single  word  of  com[^int  He  was  at 
a  little  distance  removed  from  the  rest  He  was  not 
much  scalded,  but  one  of  his  thighs  jvas  brok^  and  a 
principal  artery  had  been  severed,  from  which  the  blood 
was  gushing  rapidly.  He  betrayed  no  displeasure  at 
the  apparent  neglect  with  which  he  was  treated — ^he  was 
perfectly  calm.  I  spoke  to  him ;  he  said  "  he  was  very 
weak;  but  felt  himself  going — it  would  soon  be  over." 
A  gentleman  ran  for  one  of  the  physicians ;  be  came, 
and  declared  that  if  expedition  were  used,  he  might  be 
preserved  by  amputating  the  limb ;  but  that,  to  effect  this, 
it  would  be  necessary  to  remove  him  from  the  boat  Un- 
fortunately, the  boat  was  not  sufficiently  near  to  run  a 
plank  ashore.  We  were  obliged  to  wait  until  it  could  be 
close-hauled.  I  stood  by  him  calling  for  help;  we 
placed  him  on  a  mattrass,  and  bore  him  to  the  guards ; 
there  we  were  det£^ined  some  time,  from  the  cause  1  have 
mentioned.  Never  did  any  thing  appear  to  me  so  slow 
as  the  movement  of  those  engaged  in  hauling  the  boat 

I  knew  and  he  knew,  that  delay  v^as  death— that  life 
was  fast  ebbing.  I  could  not  take  my  gaze  from  bis 
face,  there  all  was  coolness  and  sesignation.  No  word 
or  gesture  indicative  of  impatience  escaped  liim.    H« 


''7»',-'.i-r,"-;?r.-'':7''~rT'^'-*"7 


.iiOMni) 


BEMASKABLE  SRtrffBECKS. 


>i«0.1 


f. 


perceived  by  my  loud,  and  perhaps  angry  tone  of  voice, 
how  much  I  was  excited  by  what  I  thought  the  barba- 
loue  slowness  of  those  around ;  he  begged  mo  not  to  take 
80  much  trouble ;  that  they  were  domg  their  best  At 
length  we  got  him  on  shore.  It  was  too  late;  he  was 
too  mueh  eschausted,  and  died  immediately  after  the 
amputation. 

So  soon  as  I  was  relieyed  from  attending  on  those  in 
the  cabin,  [  went  to  examine  that  part  of  the  boat  where 
Uie  boiler  had  burst.  It  was  a  complete  wreck — a  pic- 
ture of  destruction.  It  bore  ample  testimony  of  the  tre- 
mendous force  of  that  power  which  the  ingenuity  of  man 
has  brought  to  his  aid.  The  steam  had  given  every 
thing  a  whitish  hue — the  boilers  were  displaced — the 
deck  had  fall^i^  down — the  machinery  was  oroken  and 
disordered.  Bricks,  dirt,  and  rubbish,  were  scattered 
about.  Close  by  the  bowsprit  was  a  lar^e  rent  through 
which,  I  was  told,  the  boiler  after  explodmg,  had  passed 
out,  carrying  one  or  two  men  in  its  mouth.  Several 
dead  bodies  were  lyins  around ;  their  fate  had  been  an 
enviable  one  compared  with  that  of  others ;  they  could 
scarcely  have  been  conscious  of  a  pang  ere  they  had 
ceased  to  be.  On  the  starboard  wheel-house  lay  a  hu- 
man body,  in  which  life  was  not  yet  extinct,  though  ap- 
parently, there  was  no  sensibility  remaining.  The  body 
must  have  been  thrown  from  the  boiler  deck,  a  distance 
of  thirty  feet.  The  whole  of  the  forehead  had  been 
blown  away ;  the  brains  were  still  beating.  Tufts  of 
hair,  shreds  of  clothing,  and  splotches  of  blood  might  be 
seen  in  every  direction.  A  piece  of  skin  was  picked  up 
by  a  gentleman  on  board,  which  appeared  to  have  been 
peeled  off  by  the  force  of  the  steam ;  it  extended  from 
the  middle  of  the  arm  down  to  the  tips  of  the  fineers, 
the  nails  adhering  to  it.  So  dreadful  had  been  the  force 
that  not  a  particle  of  the  flesh  adhered  to  it ;  the  most 
skilful  operator  could  scarcely  have  effected  such  a  re- 
sult. Several  died  from  inhaling  the  steam  or  gas, 
whose  skin  was  almost  uninjured, 
i  The  number  of  lives  los^  will,  in  all  probability,  never 
be  distinctly  known.    Many  were  seen  flung  mto  the 


LOSS  OP  TBB  8TBAM-BQA,T  HBLEN  m'gBEGOR. 


S98 


river,  most  of  whom  sank  to  rise  no  more.  Could  thf 
survivors  have  been  kept  together  until  the  list  of  pas- 
sengers was  called,  the  precise  loss  would  have  been  a»* 
certained ;  that,  however,  though  it  had  been  attempted, 
would,  under  the  circumstances,  hanre  b^en  next  to  im- 
possible. '  <■    \\\vA  trcmd.d!  ,dw  hili'MirSiti3 

Judging  from  the  crowd  which  I  saw  on  the  boiler- 
deck  immediately  before  the  explosion,  and  the  state- 
ment which  I  received  as  to  the  number  of  those  who 
succeeded  in  swimming  out,  after  they  were  cast  into  the 
river,  I  am  inclined  to  believe  that  between  fifty  and 
sixty  must  have  perished. 

The  cabin  passengers  escaped,  owing  to  the  peculiar 
construction  of  the  boat.  Just  behind  the  boilers  were 
several  large  iron  posts,  supporting,  I  think,  the  boiler 
deck ;  across  each  post  was  a  large  circular  plate  of  iron 
of  between  one  and  two  inches  in  thickness.  One  of 
those  post's  was  placed  exactly  opposite  the  head  of  the 
boiler  which  burst,  being  the  second  one  on  the  starboard 
side.  Against  this  plate,  the  head  struck,  and  penetrated 
to  the  depth  of  an  inch,  then  broke  and  flew  off  at  an 
angle,  entering  a  cotton-bale  to  the  depth  of  a  foot. 
The  boiler-head  was  in  point  blank  range  with  the 
breakfast-table  in  the  cabin,  and  had  it  not  been  obstruct- 
ed by  the  iron  post  must  have  made  a  clear  sweep  of 
those  who  were  seated  at  the  table. 

To  render  any  satisfactory  account  of  the  cause  which 
produced  the  explosion,  can  hardly  be  expected  from  one 
who  possesses  no  scientific  or  practical  knowledge  on  the 
subject,  and  who  previously  thereto  was  paying  no 
attention  to  the  management  of  the  boat.  The  captain 
appeared  to  be  very  active  and  diligent  in  attending  to 
his  duty.  He  was  on  the  boiler-deck  when  the  explo- 
sion occurred ;  was  materially  mjured  by  that  event, 
and  must  have  bee^  ignorant  of  the  mismanagement,  if 
any  there  was.  r     .  >? 

From  the  engineer  alone,  could  the  true  explanation 

be  afforded ;  and,  if  indeed  it  was  really  attributable  to 

negligence,  it  can  scarcely  be  supposed  he  will  lay  the 

blame  on  himself.    If  I  might  Venture  a  suggestion  jk 

26*  ■ 


.SlQOliin'WnUMMkKM  SBtnriBCKB. 


y^/Kl 


relation  thereto,  I  would  assign  the  following  causes : — 
That  the  water  in  thest^trboard  boilers  had  become  low, 
in  coneequence  of  that  side  of  the  boat  resting  upon  the 

froiuMi  an  ring  our  stay  at  Memphis ;  that,  though  the 
res  were  kept  up  some  time  before  we  shoved  off, 
the  head  which  burst  had  been  cracked  for  a  considera^ 
Ue  time;  that  the  boiler  was  extremely  heated,  and  the 
water  thrown  in  when  the  boat  was  again  in  motion, 
was  at  once  converted  into  steam,  and  the  flues  not  be- 
ing sufficiently  large  to  carry  it  off  as  quickly  as  it  was 
generated,  nor  the  boiler-head  of  a  strength  capable  of 
resisting  its  action,  the  explosion  was  a  natural  result" 

m^        LOSS  OF  THE  SHIP  BEVERLY.      i^'>f 

The  ship  Beverly,  captain  Moore,  bound  to  Valparai- 
so, was  burnt  at  sea,  on  the  13th  November,  1826.  She 
was  upwards  of  seven  hundred  tons  burthen,  owned  by 
Israel  Thomdike,  of  Boston,  and  the  value  of  the  ship 
and  cargo  was  estimated  at  one  hundred  and  eighteen 
thousand  dcllars. 

On  the  13th  of  November,  latitude  6,  26,  longitude  27, 
2,  at  half  past  three,  P.  M.,  the  ship  was  discovered  to 
be  on  fire  in  the  fore  peak,  and  every  exertion  was  made 
to  extinguish  it,  for  three  hours,  but  without  success. 
From  the  inflammable  nature  of  the  cargo,  (which  con-^ 
sisted  of  tar,  rosin,  pitch,  turpentine,  linseed-oil,  spirits 
and  cabinet  furniture,)  the  fire  spread  with  alarming  ra- 
pidity. They  succeeded  in  getting  out  the  boats,  into 
which  the  officers  and  crew  were  divided,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  left  her,  having  previously  taken  in  a  quantity 
of  provisions.  They  lay-by  to  the  windward,  until 
about  ten  o'clock,  when  the  ship  had  burnt  to  the  wa- 
ter's edge,  and  then  shaped  their  course  for  the  coast  of 
Brazil.  Finding  their  progress  retarded  by  waiting  for 
each  other,  they  mutually  agreed  to  separate,  on  the 
third  day  after  leaving  the  ship.  There  were  nine  in  the 
pinnace)  fifteen  in  the  Ibng-lKKit,  and  six  in  the  whale- 


-•**'!■'-'■ 


LOW  OF  Tm  FIANOES  MABY. 


M 


boat,  making  a  total  of  thirty  persons  cast  adiift  on  the 
open  ocean. 

<  On  the  3d  of  December,  the  pinnace  landed  at  Paraibo, 
Ihree  weeks  aften  abandoning  the  ship.  Captain  Moore 
stated  that  while  he  was  in  the  boat,  he  had  fine  weather^ 
and  with  the  aid  of  a  sail,  averaged  over  ninety  miles  a 
day,  using  the  oars  but  once  during  the  passage.  He 
computed  the  distance  run  by  the  boat  at  nearly  sixteen 
hundred  miles.  The  fire  originated  through  the  care- 
lessness of  the  cook,  who  went  below  with  a  lantern, 
and  it  is  supposed  took  the  candle  out.  The  flames 
spread  so  rapidly,  that  he  had  his  clothes  and  skin  burnt, 
Wore  he  could  be  extricated,  and  finally  died  of  his 
wounds  in  the  boat. 

One  of  the  boys,  who  arrived  with  captain  Moore  in 
the  pinnace,  after  having  escaped  the  perils  of  *^  fire  and 
flood,"  was  so  unfortunate  as  to  have  one  of  his  legs  bit 
off  by  a  shark,  while  bathing,  soon  after  he  landed. 


ij 


^  *ife.^if/)gS  OP  THE  FRANCES  MARY. 


The  Frances  Mary  was  a  new  ship,  of  about  four  J 
hundred  tons  burthen,  commanded  by  captain  Kendall, 
and  bound  from  New  Brunswick  to  Liverpool,  laden   % 
with  timber.    We  publish  the  following  particulars  of 
this  dreadful  disaster  as  related  by  captain  Kendall. 

Sailed  from  St.  Johns,  N.  B.,  January  18, 1826.  Feb- 
ruary 1,  strong  gales  from  the  W.  N.  W. ;  carried 
away  the  main-topmast  and  mizzen-mast  head  *,  hove 
to,  got  boat's  sails  in  the  main  ringing,  to  keep  the 
ship  to  the  wind.  At  11,  P.  M.,  shipped  a  heavy  sea, 
which  washed  away  the  caboose,  jolly-boat,  and  disa- 
bled five  men.  February  2d,  cleared  away  the  wreck 
and  made  sail  before  the  wind ;  strong  breezes.  Febru- 
ary 6,  11,  A.  M.,  strong  gales,  with  a  heavy  sea ;  clewed 
up  the  sails  and  hove  to,  head  to  the  southward ;  ship- 
I>ed  a  sea,  which  carried  away  the  long-boat,  companion, 
tiller,  the  best  bower-chain,  unshipped  the  rudder,  ana 
21* 


iiSi 


te..: 


i 


wftihed  a  man  oy«rboard,  who  was  afterwards  saTod. 
At  10.  P.  M.  another  heavy  sea  struck  us,  which  stoY« 
in  our  stem.  Cut  away  our  foremast  and  both  bower 
anchors,  to  keep  the  ship  to  the  wind.  Employed  in 
getting  what  provision  we  could,  by  knocking  out  the 
bow-port ;  saved  My  pounds  of  bread  and  five  pounds 
of  cheese,  which  we  stowed  in  the  maintop.  Got  the 
master's  wife  and  female  passenger  up,  whilst  we  were 
clearing  away  below,  lightming  the  ship ;  most  of  the 
people  slept  in  the  top.  At  dayli^t,  found  Patrick  Con- 
ney  hanging  by  his  1^;8  to  the  cat«harpins,  dead  from  fa- 
tigue; ccKnmitted  his  body  to  the  deep. 

Feburary  6,  at  8,  A.  M.,  saw  a  strange  sail  standing 
towards  us ;  made  signals  of  distress, — stranger  spoke 
lis,  and  remained  in  company  twenty-four  hours,  but 
gave  us  no  ast^tance;  the  American  making  an  excuse 
that  the  sea  was  running  too  high.  Made  a  tent  of  spare 
canvass  on  the  forecastle— put  the  people  on  tm  aUow- 
ance  of  a  quarter  of  a  biscuit  a  day.  February  8,  saw  a 
brig  to  leeward — strong  gales.  February  9,  10,  A.  M.. 
observed  the  same  vessel  to  windward — made  the  signal 
of  distress ;  stranger  bore  up  and  showed  American  co- 
lors. February  10,  she  spoke  us,  asking  how  long  we 
had  been  in  that  situation,  and  what  we  mten^ed  to  do, 
if  we  intended  leaving  the  slup  ?  Answered  yes.  He 
then  asked  if  we  hsid  any  rigging?  Answered  yes. 
Night  coming  <lh,  and  blowing  hard,  saw  no  more  of  the 
stranger.    Suffered  from  hunger  and  thirst.  ,\2 

Chn  the  11th,  saw  a  large  ship  to  the  northward-— did 
not  speak  her;  wore  head  to  the  northward.  At  this 
time  all  our  provisions  were  out ;  suffered  much  from 
hanger,  having  received  no  nourishment  for  nine  days. 
February  12,  departed  this  life,  James  Clark,  seaman  :^-^ 
read  prayers,  and  committed  his  body  to  the  deep.  We 
were  at  this  time  on  a  half  gill  of  water  a  day,  and  suf* 
fered  much  from  hunger.  During  the  whole  period  of 
being  on  the  wreck  we  were  wet  from  top  to  toe.  Feb- 
ruary 22,  John  Wilson,  seaman,  died  aj;  10,  A.  M. ;  pre- 
served the  body  of  the  deceased,  cut  him  up  in  quairters, 
leashed  them  overboard!,  and  himg^  them  upjon  pins. 


,..'^SJ4 


"*!"'  —  -^■■" — ijiiiiL.  J I 


LOM  or  TBI  FEANOM  MAKY. 


F«braai^  23,  J.  Moore  died,  and  was  thrown  oii«rbo(urd« 
having  eaten  part  of  him,  such  as  the  liyer  and  heart. 
From  this  date  to  Saturday,  6th  of  March,  the  following 
Quoiber  perished  from  hunger,  y'vl  Henry  Davis,  a 
Welsh,  boy,  iiez.  Kelley,  seanun,  John  Jones,  appren- 
tice boy,  nephew  of  the  owner,  James  Frier,  cook,  Da- 
niel Janes,  seaman,  John  Hutchinson,  seaaian,  and  John 
Jones,  a  boy: — threw  the  last  named  overboard)  his  blood 
V|ing  bitter. 

James  Frier  was  working  his  passage  bon^^  ubder  a 
promise  of  marriage  to  Ann  Saunaers,  the  female  passen- 
ger whp  attended  on  the  ipaster's  wife,  and  who,  when 
she  Heard,  of  Frier's  death,  shrieked  a  loud,  yall,  then 
snatching  a  cup  from  Clerk,  the  mate,  cut  her  late  iu- 
tenddd  husband's  throat  and  drank  his  blood  I  ixumana 
that  she  had  the  greatest  right  to  it.  A,  scuffle  ensued, 
but  the  heroine  got  the  better  of  her  adversary,  and  then, 
allowed^  him  to  drink  one  cup  to  hertwa  , 

February  26,  on  or  about  this  day^p,  ]Bngll8b  brig 
hove  iu  sight ;  hoisted  the  ensim  downward ;  stranger 
hauled  b|s  wind  towards  us^  and  hauled  his  fi»Mail  up 
when  abreast  of  us ;  kept  his  course  about  one  niU»  dis- 
tantr—set  his  foresail,  and  we  soon  lost  sight  of  him— 
fresh  breeze  with  a  little  rain — ^the  sea  quite  smooth,  but 
iie  went  off,  having  shown  English  colors,  a  Had  heat 
this -time  taken  us  o^  the  wreck,  much  of  Uie  subsequent 
d|readful  sufferings  would  have  been  spai^  us. 

]r  March  7.  His  B.  M.  ship  Blonde  came  in  sight,  and 
to  our  relief,  in  latitude  44,  43,  north,  longitude  31,  67, 
west.  Words  are  quite  inadequate  to  express  ovs  fisei- 
ings,  as  well  as  those  which  Lord  Byron  and  our  deli- 
verers most  evidently  possessed,  when  they  had  comento 
-rescue  six  of  their  fellow-creatures,  two  of  them  females, 
from  a  most  awful,  lingering,  but  certain  death.  It  came 
on  to  blow  during  the  night  a  fresh  gale,  which  would 
no  doubt  have .  swept  us  all  overboard.  Lieutenant 
Gambler  came  ii|  the  ship*s  cutter  to  bring  us  from  the^ 
wreck.  He  observed  to  us,  "  You  have  yet,  I  perceive,* 
fresh  meat"     To  which  we  were  compelled  to  reply, 

'  No,  sir,  it  is  part  of  a  man,  one  of  our  unfortunate 


"S^ 


MMQlMKAfltitf'  raiFlf  kSOKV. 


ot«ir,^*-4t  WM  osr  Intention  to  put  onnelres  on  sn  aU 
lowttBce  even  of  this  food,  this  evening,  had  not  ^oo* 
ooma  to  our  velief/'  The  maater'a  wife,  vrho  undertrent 
all  the  moBt  horrid  tiifferings  which  the  human  tmder- 
standhig  ean'  ihi«^e,  hwa  them  mneh  Better  than  ebuM 
poMiblf  have  been  expected.  She  is  ndw,  although 
much  oMuMiaiecl,  a  Feapectwte,  aooonooking  wolnan, 
abouf  tweiity«llva^  ^ata  of  age,  and  the^  mother  of  a  Boy;  ' 
seven  years  old.  But  what  ^-must  have  been  the  Mctre- 
mitf  Of  wantlo  irhieh  she  waa  driven,  when  she  ate 
ttie  hmilia  of  one  of  tlva  apprentices,  saying  it  was  the 
most  delieioiis  thing  she  e^^  tasted ;  and  it  is  still  mora 
melanehdy  to  relate,  that  the  person,  whose  btains  she 
was  thus  forced  by  hmiger  to  eat,  had  been  three  timea 
wreciked  before,  but  was  ptiovidenthilly  picked  up  by  a 
vessel^  after  beMJi  twenty-two  days  on  ttie  wreck,,  wa^ 
tef^gged:  bai  te  the  present  ihstance^  he  peinhed, 
(having  su^ved'Hii^Ilif  sufferinfsfor  a  space  of  twclbty- 
nhie  m^^tat&mm  became  food  for  his  remaining  ship- 
maieaN  ^ 

Ann  Sannders,  ilie  other  female,  had  more  strength  in 
her  calamity  than  most  of  the  men.  She  perforthed  the 
duty  of  cutting  np  and  cleaning  the  dead  bodies,  keep- 
ing two  knives  for  the  purpose  in  her  monkey  jacket ;  and 
when  the  breath  was  announced  to  have  flown,  she^ 
wdttld  sharpen  her  knives,  bleed  the  deceased  in^fhe 
neck,  drink  his  blood,  and  cut  him  up  as  usual.  i*rom 
want  of  water,  tibose  who  perished  drank  their  own 
urme  and  salt  water.  They  became  foolish,  and  crawl- 
ed np<Mi  tiieir  bands  round  the  deck  when  they  could, 
and  died,  generally,  raving  mad ! 
^^^Aller  floating  about  the  ocean  for  some  months,  this 
ill-foted  vessel  was  follen  in  with  by  an  Engli^  ship.^ 
and  carried  into  Jamaica,  where  she  was  refitted,  and 
agMD  sent  to  sea;  The  putrid  remains  of  human  bodies, 
which  had  been  the  only  food  of  the  unfortunate  sur- 
viTotfs,  was  found  on  board  the  vessel.  ^  s  ^  / 


«'-^*'- 


y' 


:jf^ 


f 


.'H?(tp.-J 


^^ 


■\ 


.,m 


^^^^^^W(^^  WIWl^W* 


'ilf'^km--,9i4mm»tmmm  fe*,>.  'i*  ^ik  .-jtil' ...| 


WSS  or  THE  SHIP  ALBION. 


t 

III:, 

'^Tr*  fbllowinff  acdoltnt  of  this  itielaiichofy  8hi|rvreiBk' 
^mia  ^veiti  by^  a^lM  d^^yei",  firtt  mate  of  the  reMtl 
We  saHed  from' New  Tdtr  dii  the  first  of  April.  1889, 
in  the  shit^  AfbionVi^fott^  htiili^hed  aildforfr-86r<» 
with  acrdw,  inethttthg  dflld^rs,  of  twelit^-fi^  iil'ittuii^ 
bei^,  besMeS  tweiitv-thi^  (iahtn,  atid  str  iHedn^  m^ 
sehgerS;  ttiakuig  m  this  Whofe  flfty-fotii^  pItMmj  6t^ 
niikidf  whom  now  hr^  tb  tielate  the  mdandhoiy  tsle. 
For  the'  fiiM  tWenty  days,  we  coutiihied  omr  voyage  widi 
moderate  tind  fatoiwble  weather;  and  at  abOttt  half  past 
one  o'elock,  in  the  aftethoodof  Sonday  thedlst,  we  made 
the  land.    The  FaSthet  rock  bore  bv  compass,  E.  N.  R, 
distant  about  three  leag:u^    At  two,  made  cape  Clear, 
bearing  east  and  by  north,  distance  about  two  fealties; 
Thiefi:  and  fo»^,  bloWin^  ftissh,  aM'heavy  sqtiaHs  nom 
thei  sdnthWardT  Ship  h^adink  up  fi.  S.  B.,  carrying  aU ' 
prudent  sail,  to  crowd  ^  sh^  off  thd  land.    Th^  gaOel 
ufcreaSifrg,  shortened  sail  occasiottallyi    At  faox  o^elock, 
then  tinder  donbte  reefed  t<»bsails,  MesaSi,  and  ikh^iinsail, 
canied  away  the  fbreyard,  and  spfit  the  talMdipitdl' 
Got  the  pieces  ot  iHti  yaid(  doWh,  and  pPbutH^td  gef 
another  yard  up.    Cfale  inci^asmg,  about  half  past  fbu^,' 
took  m  the  maiiisa!!  aitd  mizzeh^io^ail,  ai!id  Set  themahit- ' 
trysail.    Night  c6min)g^  on,  cleared  tlnj  declai  ibir  woflc- 
ing  ship.    At  half  past  ^ght,  gale  still  hitfrotbing,  with 
a  high  8«^.  *  Shipped  a  h^ry  st^a,  whidit  ^Itat^N^  the  ship 
on  her  "be^m-c^as,  Md^  6armd  away  the  oiiaimnast  by 
the  deck,  th^  headofth^  mi^h-mast,  and  fi^r^^topmast, 
and  swept  the  decks  clei^  of  every  thing,  indtiding  boats, 
caboose  hoi^,  btilwarkS,  liisd  Compasses,  atid  Stove  In 
all  the  hatchies,  state  rooms,  and  bulWaf ks  in  the  cabin, 
Which  was  neatly  filled  With  water.    At  the  Same  mo- 
ment, six  of  the  creW  aUd  one  Cabin  passsnger,  Mr.  A. 
B.  ConverS,  of  Troy,  N.  Y.,  were  swApt  6verbosu?d» 


v?*w 


[&'- 


BBMABKABLI  •HIPWBBOU. 


*% 


\-i' 


The  ship  being  unmanageable,  and  the  sea  making  a 
complete  breiush  over  her,  we  were  obliged  to  lath  our- 
■elvea  to  the  pumps,  and  being  in  total  oarkness.  with- 
out correct  compauBses,  could  not  tell  how  the  ship  s  head 
lay.  The  a«e«  being  swept  away,  bad  no  means  of 
clearing  the  wreck.  About  one  o'clock,  made  the  light 
o(  the  Old  Head  of  Kipsale,  but  could  not  ascertain  how 
it  bore j  and  at  two,  found  the  ship  embayed.  The  cap* 
tain,  anticipating  our  melancholy  fate,  called  all  the 
passengers  up,  who  had  not  before  been  on  deck.  Many 
of  them  had  received  considerable  injury  when  the  sea 
first  striick  her,  and  were  soarceljr  able  to  come  on  deck: 
others  had  been  incessantly  assisting  at  the  pumps ;  ana 
it  is  an  interesting  fact,  that  Miss  Powell,  an  amiable 

Jroung  lady,  who  was  on  board,  was  desirous  to  be  al- 
owed  to  take  Ijier  turn.  One  gentleman,  who  had  been 
extremely  ill  during  the  passage,  Mr.  William  Everhart, 
of  Chester,  Penn.,  was  too  feeble  to  crawl  to  the*deck 
witliout  assistance,  but  strange  to  say,  he  was  the  only 
cabin  passenger  who  was  saved. 

Our  situation  at  that  moment,  is  indescribable,  and  H 
can  scarcely  dwell  upou,  much  less  attempt  to  detail,  its 
horrors.    About  three  o'clock,  tho  ship  struck  on  a  reef, 
her  upper  works  beat  in  over  the  rocks,  and  in  about 
half  an  hour  after  coming  in  over  the  first  reef,  she  part-, 
ed  midships,  and  her  quarter-deck  drifted  in  on  the  top ' 
of  the  iqside  ledge,  immediately  nndei^  the  cliffs.    Up  $9  j 
the  period  of  het  parting,  nearly  twenty  persons  were 
clinging  |o  the  wreck,  among  whom  were  two  females, 
Mrs.  Pye,  and  Miss  Powell.    Captain  Williams  had, 
with  several  others,  been  swept  away  soon  after  she.; 
struck ;  a  circumstance  which  may  be  attributed  to  the 
very  extraordinary  exertions  whioh  he  used,  to  the  last 
moment,  for  the  preservatioiiii  of  the  Uves  of  the  unfortu^ 
nate  passen^^ers  and  crew. 

A  short  time  before  she  parted,  myself  and  six  of  the 
crew  got  away  from  the  vessel    After  jgeiining  a  rock  in 
a  very  exhausted  state,  I  was  washed  off,  but,  by  the  as- 
sistance of  Providence,  was  enabled,  before  the  return, 
of  thejga^  U}  regain  it;  and  before  I  could  att^pji^ta, 


♦s   k> 


MM  OV  VMS  HUP  AUBON. 


elirob  th*  cliff,  which  wm  nc«rl^  pcrpcndioiiiar,  I  wfm 
obliged  to  lie  down,  to  n^gain  a  little  strenffth,  aifter  tbp 

;  Mvere  bruicec  and  oontucioBa  1  bad  leoeived  on  the  body 
and  feet.    One  of  the  passengen,  colcmel  Augustine  J. 

^  PrcTOCt,  reached  the  rook  wiui  me  aHve,  but  wai,  toge- 
ther with  one  of  t|;e  etewards,  washed  off  and  drowned. 
Some  of  the  paacengers  were  suffocated  on  deck  and 
in  the  finre  rigging,  and  some  must  have  been  destroyed 
by  an  anchor  which  was  loose  on  the  foiecaalle  beraro 
the  ship  parted.  It  is  scarcely  possible  to  deaeribe  the 
deraatation  which  followed.  The  entire  cargo,  oonaist-. 
in^  of  cotton,  rice,  turpentine,  and  beeswax,  together 
with  a  quantity  of  silver  and  gold,  to  a  large  amoiuit 
was  in  all  directions  beaten  to  pieces  by  the  severity  of 
the  sea,  without  a  possibility  of  Having  it 

Very  soon  after, we  got  upon  the  cliffs,  piy  poor  ship- 
mates and  myself  found  our  way  to  a'jpeasant's  cottam. 
Early  in  the  morninff,  Mr.  Jaqies  B.  Gibbens,  of  Ballin- 
spittle,  came  to  me  ftora  the  wreck,  where  be  had  been 
amce  five  o'clock,  endeavoring  to  save  some  a(  the  Uvea. 
He  moat  humanely  sent  Mr.  Everhart,  Mr.  Raymond, 
the  boy,  and  myself^  to  his  house,  about  a  mile  from  the 
spot,  where  we  experienced  the  kindest  and  most  ho8*> 
Stable  iittention.  The  remaining  survivori  were  taken; 
dome  by  Mr.  Purcell,  steward  of  Thcnnas  Rochfort,  Eeq.' 
of  Qarretstown,  where  every  attention  was  paid  to  them. 
Coffins  were  provided  by  Mr.  Purcell,  according  to  the 
orders  of  Mr.  Rochfort,  and  the  bodies  that  were  found, 
were  interred  at  Tenipletrine  churchyard,  about  four 
miles  from  Kinsale  and  one  from  the  fatal  spot  The 
Rev.  Mr.  Evanson  kindly  officiated  on  the  occasion* 
On  Tuesday,  I  went  to  Kinsale  to  note  a  protest,  utd 
then  first  met  Mr.  Mark,  the  consul  for  the  United  States, 
who  happened  to  be  at  Kinsale  at  that  time  on  othor 
busuiess.  He  came  ov?r  and  ^ve  directicwu  for  cloth- 
ing the  sufferer^,  who  were  destitute  of  every  thing. 

Unremitting  exertions  w^re  used  daily  for  the  reco'^ery  ^ 
of  the  goods  and  specie,  but  without  success,  as  none  of 
the  cargo,  and  but  a  small  part  of  the  materials  of  the 
26  r 


-■■am^if- 


ikiMiUiknM  tnf  wimit 


K  f 


wmttHf  wwe  Mnr«d,  together  with  property  in  epeoie  ta> 
tlie  aanonnt  of  about  fire  thomand  poaiidi. 
^THe  fellotring  it  a  correct  list  of  the  crew  and  paMeii<»< 
gor*. 

t?rew.  John  Williaina,  captain,  dibwned;  Henry 
Oammrer,  first  mate,  saved;  Edwa^  8mMif  seconv 
mate,  drowned ;  William  Hyate,  boatswain,  satM  j  Al- 
exander Adams,  earpetitor,  Harman  Nelaon,  HBBrman* 
Richardson,  Henry '^'^ttiell,  William  Trisserly,  James* 
Wiley,  llo«>ert  HoLellan.  and  Thomas  €k)Odhian,= 
dromned ;  John  ISimson,  John  Richards^Prancis  0loom) 
attd  Ebeneier  Warner,  saved*  Samuel  Wilson  and  Wil-' 
liam  Snow,  boys,  drowned;  William  Dockwood, drown^^ 
ed,  body  found  ahd  interred ;  Hierom  Raymond,  saivedf - 
Lloyd  Potter,  Samuel  Penny,  stewards,  atid  Pranoi# 
Isaac,  boy,  blaotoi,  all  drowned ;  Thomas  Hill  and  Adam 
Johnson,  cooks,  Mucks,  both  drowned,  bodies' found  aAd< 
interred. 

Cabin  Passengers.    W.  Bterhart,  Bsq.,  of  Chests v 
Penn.,  saved;  lieutenant-colonel  Augustine  J.  Prevosv/* 
ms()or  William  Gongh,  of  the  68th  regiment ;  Rev.  O; 
Ri  O.  Hill.  Msf  from  Jamafca^  Nelson  Ross,  of  Troy. 
N.  f .  r  William  H.  Dwight,  of  Boston ;  Mr.  Beynen,  of 
LM^n)  profbSSor  Fishei',  of  New-Haveh  college;  Mr. 
William  woctor,  of  Ne#  York :   Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hyde' 
dark,  MrN.  Pye  and  Miss  Powell,  of  Canada,  daughter 
of  Jtidge  Powell,  all  drowiied,  feuUitf  and  interred;  Mr. 
A.  B.  Converif,  of  Troy,  N.  T.,  and  madame  Gkrdinev' 
and  son,  of  Paris,  droWrted ;  (madame  G.'s  body  was^ 
found  and  interred ;)  five  Fretfch  gentlemen,  names  an-' 
known,  (extept  Mr.  Yietor  Millicent,)  drowned,  found 
and  intoned. 

Steerage  Passengers.  Stephen  Chase,  of  Canada, 
saved;  Mre.  Marv  Brereton,  and  Mary  Hunt,  drowned, 
found  and  interred ;  Mr.  Harrison,  carpenter,  Mr.  Bald- 
win, ctotton  spinner,  from  Yorkshire,  England,  and  Dr. 
Carver,  a  veterinary  surgeon,  drowned. 

Four  bodies  were  also  found  add  interred  that  could  * 
net  be  reeogolised. 

The  following  account  of  the  wreck  of  the  Albion  was 


c 

8 

t 
a 

0 

li 
h 

tl 

a 


I* 


omrnoirifttid  t^  the  tdifnr  of  tiie  Tillage  Beoord,  oi 
Oheiter,  PmnsylTania,  bv  WiUitn  Bferhart,  Eiq.,  «Aev 
hkratum  to  tlM  United  Statei.  Mr.  Everhsrt)  it #U1  be 
leeollecled,  wm  the  only  oabiii  pMsenget  who  wat  mt- 
ed,  o«l  ef  tiPentr-three  penone.  At  hif  itatenent  tihrim 
some  additionel  wtksulara  of  tlie  dieaeier  that  mef  be 
interefting,  we  pnbiieh  it  entire. 

Mr.  ETerhart  taye,  that  up  to  the  81  if  of  April,  tha 
voyage  had  been  proeperous  and  pleaeant  for  the  leaion^ 
though  he  had  himtelf  tuffftred  much  fnm  ■ea^ncltneaei 
and  wai  almoei  ecmstantly  ooniined  to  hie  room.  The 
storm  of  the  day,  it  was  supposed,  was  erer ;  they  were 
near  to  the  coast,  and  all  hands  flattered  themsebpee  thait' 
in  a  short  time,  they  should  reach  theit  destined  harbor  } 
but,  about  nine  o^cloek  in  the  evening,  a  heavy  sea  struek 
the  •hip,,  swept  several  seamen  from  the  ideck,  eatried 
away  tier  masts,  and  stove  in  her  hatehwaiTB,  so'lhat 
every  wave  which  passed  over  her,  ran  into  the  hold 
withiout  any  thing  to  stop  it,-^the  railhigs  were  earned 
away,  and  the  wheel  which  aided  them  to  steer.  In 
iGfhort,  that  fatal  wave  left  the  Albion  a  wreek.  She  wu^ 
then  about  twenty  miles  tnm  the  shore,  and  oaMali^ 
Williams  steadily  and  coolly  gave  his  ofdere ;  he  oneev^ 
ed  the  passengers  and  crew  with  the  hope  that  the  wind 
would  shift,  and  before  morning  blow  off  shore.  The 
sea  was  very  rough,  and  the  vessel  unmanageable;  and 
the  pamengers  were  obliged  to  be  tied  to  the  pnmpe,  thai 
they  might  work  them.  All  who  could  do  no  good  ok 
deck,  rei^red  below,  but  the  water  was  knee  deep  in  the 
calnn,  and  the  ftrmitare  floating  about,  rendered  the 
situation  dangerous  and  dreadful. 

All  night  long,  the  wind  blew  a  gale,  directly  oK  shore^ 
towards  which  the  Albion  was  drifling,  at  the  rata  of 
about  three  miles  an  hour.  The  oompfote  hepdessMSs 
of  their  situation  was  known  to  few  except  emtain  Wil-^ 
liams.  The  eoast  was  familiar  to  him;  and  he  must 
have  seen  in  despair  and  horror,  throughout  Aieni^iC| 
the  certainty  of  their  fate.  At  length,  the  ocean,  daamng 
and  roaring  u|)fen  the  precipice  of  rocks,  told  them  UMI 
fheir  hour  wae  eome^    Captain  Williaitts  enmaiaMdall 


4 


\ 


*fc, 


V 


BIMABIABLB  SHiPWB10K»       '^  ^. 


deck,  and  briefly  told  thom  that  the  ship  must  soon 
strike ;  it  was  impossible  to  preserve  her.  Mr.  Everhart 
says,  that  he  was  the  last  that  left  the  cabin.  Professor 
Fisher  was  behind,  but  he  is  confident  that  he  never 

,  came  <mi  deck,  but  perished  below.  Some,  particularly 
the  £e>males,  expi'essed  their  terror  in  wild  shrieks.  Ma- 
jor Gough,  of  the  British  army,  remarked,  that  <'  death, 
oome  as  he  would,  was  an  unwelcome  messenger,  but 
that  they  must  meet  him  like  men."  Very  little  wa9 
said  by  ^e  others ;  the  men  waited  the  expected  shock 
in  silence.  General  Lefevre  Dcsnouetts,  during  the 
voyage,  had  evidently  wished  to  remain  without  particu- 
lar observation;  and  to  prevent  his  being  known,  be- 
^des  taking  passage  under  a  feigned  name,  had  suffered 
his  beard  to  grow  during  the  whole  voyage.  He  had 
the.  misfortune,  before  the  ship  struck,  to  be  much  bruis- 
ed, and  one  of*  his  arms  was  broken,  which  disabled 
him  from  exertion  if  it  could  have  been  availing.    It  is 

■  not  possible  to  conceive  the  horrors  of  their  situation. 

%j{Tne  deidly  and  relentless  blast  impelling  them  to  de- 
struction ;  the  ship  a  wreck ;  the  raging  of  the  billows 
against  the  precipice,  on  which  they  were  driving,  send- 
ing back  frrui  the  caverns  and  the  rocks,,  the  hoarse  and 
melancholy  warnings  of  death,  dark,  cold,  and  wet !  In 
such  a  situation  the  stoutest  heart  must  have  quaked  in 
utter  despair.  When  there  is  a  ray  of  hope,  there  may 
be  a  corresponding  buoyanco  of  spirit.  When  there  is 
any  thing  to  be  done,  the  active  man  may  drown  the 
sense  of  danger  while  actively  exerting  himself;  but 
here  there  was  nothing  to  do  but  to  die  !  Just  at  the 
gray  of  dawn  the  Albion  struck. 

The  perpendicular  precipice  of  rocks  is  nearly  two 
hundred  wet  in  height ;  the  sea  beating  for  ages  against 
it  has  worn  lar^e  caverns  in  its  base,  into  which  the 
waves  rushed  violently,  sending  back  a  deep  and  hollow 
souiul,  then,  running  out  in  various  directions,  formed 
whirlpools  of  great  violence.  For  a  perch  or  two  from 
tiie  psecipice,  rocks  rise  out  of  the  water,  broad  at  bot- 
tom and  sharp  at  top ;  on  one  of  these,  the  Albion  first 
stiuoky  the  next  wave  threw  her  further  on  the  rock,  the 


•  .Ifjpiir 


•    '^'■■-  MMS  OF  THB  •HIP  ALUOK.' 

Ibird  further  stin,  untily  neai^ialtfisci,  ahT vvhot^ 
round,  and  her  stem  was  driven  against  another,  near  in 
shore.  I»  this  situation,  every  wave  making  a  complete 
breach  over  her,  many  were  drowned  on  deck.  A  wo- 
man, Mr.  Everhart  could  not  distinguish  who,  fell  near 
him  and  cried  for  help.  He  left  his  hold  and  raised  her 
up, — another  wave  came,  but  she  was  too  far  exhausted 
to  sustain  herself,  and  sank  on  the  deck.  Fifteen  or 
sixteen  corpses,  at  one  time,  Mr.  Everhart  thought,  lay 
near  the  bows  of  the  ship.  ^ 

Perceiving  now  that  the  stem  was  higher  out  of  wateK;' 
and  the  sea  had  less  power  in  its  sweep  over  it,  Mr^ 
Everhart  went  aft.  He  now  perceived  that  the  bottom 
had  been  broken  out  of  the  ship.  The  heavy  articles 
must  have  sunk,  and  the  cotton  and  hghter  articles  were 
floating  around,  dashed  by  every  wave  against  the  rocks. 
Presently  the  ship  broke  in  two,  and  all  those  who  re- 
mained near  the  bow  were  lost.  Several  from  the  stem 
of  the  ship  had  got  on  the  side  of  the  precipice,  and  were 
hanging  by  the  crags  as  well  as  they  could.  Although 
weakened  by  previous  sickness  and  present  suffering, 
Mr.  Everhart  made  an  effort  and  got  upon  the  rock  and 
stood  upon  one  foot,  the  only  hold  that  he  could  obtain. 
He  saw  several  around  him,  and  among  the  rest,  colonel 
Prevost,  who  observed,  on  seeing  him  take  his  station, 
"  here  is  another  poor  fellow."  But  the  waves,  rolling 
heavily  against  them,  and  often  dashing  the  spray  fifty 
feet  above  their  heads,  gradually  swept  those  who  had 
taken  refuge  one  by  one  away ;  and  one  poor  fellow  los- 
ing his  hold,  grasped  the  leg  of  Mr.  Everhart,  and  nearly 
pulled  him  from  his  place.  Weak  and  sick  as  he  was, 
Mr.  Everhart  stood  several  hours  on  one  foot  on  a  little 
crag,  the  billows  dashing  over  him,  and  he  benumbed 
withcold.  J;.<r^J*hV-    j*^  ^ 

,:  As  so(m  as  it  was  light,  and  the  tide  ebbed  As;  is  to 
render  it  possiUe,  the  people  descended  the  rocks  ili'foar 
as  they  could,  and  dropped  him  a  rope,  which  he4«st«i» 
ed  around  his  body,  and  was  drawn  out  to  a  place  of 
safety.  Of  twenty-three  cabin  passengers,  he  altme  es- 
caped !    Mr.  Everhart  mentions  numerous  instances  of 


•* 


W" 


•;s  >'■■'■ 


i 


.  ; 


i- 


■*i- 


wh, 


-jm' 


tlM  kmdness  ihewn  hy  the  people  to  the  surmors.  i 
saikv  WM  drawn  ashore  naked,  and  one  of  the  peaianti, 
aithpugh  a  cold  rain  was  falling,  took  the  riiirt  from  his 
own  back,  and  put  it  cm  that  of  the  sufforer.  Mr.  Ever- 
hart  himself  waa  taken  to  the  hospitable  mansion  of  Mr. 
lames  B^  Gibbens,  where  he  lay  for  several  weeks  ex- 
ceedingly ill,  receiYing  the  kinMSt  attention.  *'  They 
could  not  hav»  treated  me  more  tenderly,"  said  Mr. 
fiverhart,  "  if  1  had  been-  a  brother." 

The  attentions  paid  the  surrirors,  were  in  the  style 
of  ime  Iridn  hospitality.  Such  disinterested  kindness 
eatalts  the  human  character,  and  is  calculated  to  have 
not  a  limited  eflfect,  bat  will  prove  of  national  advantage. 
^  This  terrible  wreck  and  loss  of  lives,  and  on  the  part 
of  Mr.  Everhart,  sirch  a  miraculous  preservation,  excited 
the  public  sensibihty  throughout  Europe  and  America. 
When  hdl  kmded  at  Liverpool,  it  was  difficult  for  him  to 
get  along  the  streets,  the  people  orowd^  around  in  such 
numbers  to  see  the  only  passengte  saved  from  the  wreck 
of  the  Albion.  **■  i--;'^  •  =^i-  '/■  '^^i**,*;-^*---' 

iiOSS  OP  THE  SHIP  LOGAN  BY  FIRE.    o>i 


.  Tm  ship  Lagan,  captain  Bunker,  was  struck  by 
hi^tnang  and  coluiumed,  cm  her  passage  from  Savannah 
to  Liverpool,  on  the  19th  December;  1§32.  The  ibllow- 
ing^  account  of  this  dreadful  accident  was  furnished  by 
the  captain. 

The  Logan  left  Tybee  on  the  16th  December,  with  a 
fair  wind  mm  south,  which  continued  blowing  a  heavy 
gale  irovn  westward  until  the  19th,  on  wlii^h  day,  at 
fortjr-five  minutes  past  one  o'clock,  P.  M.,  she  was  struck 
by  ughtniiig,  which  descended  the  starboard  pump ;  from 
thehoe  it  passed  up  the  after-hatchway  and  ^ent  off.  It 
was  immediatel)r  observed  that  #ie  ship  Was  on  fire;  and 
the  crew  commenced  breaking  out  cotton  from  the  main 
batchwaj,  for  the  purpose  of  extinguishing  it  In  the 
oouiae  or  half  an  hour,  got  into  the  lower  hold,  and  pn 


'-■m 


il'i^iiak'f'i 


•^, 


%Ji>^': 


rrirors.  S 
le  peasants, 
irt  from  his 
Mr.  Ever- 
ision  of  Mr. 
1  ureeks  ex« 
n.  "  They 
'  said  Mr. 

n  the  style 
d  kindness 
ed  to  have 
advantage, 
on  the  part 
on,  excited 
i  Amenca. 

■  for  him  to 
ind  in  such 
I  the  wreck 

■  kmm'An'iW 

IRE.  ^B 

struck  by 
Savannah 
^he  folio w- 
mished  by 

ber,  with  a 
ig  a  heavy 
6h  day,  at 
was  struck 
[imp;  from 
sntoff.  It 
n  fire^  and 
I  the  main 
it.  In  the 
Id,  and  on 


^^M    ■ 


•'«- 


If: 


,".*■■ 


** 


4  ««« 


'f- 


♦         # 


**• 


ik 
wt 
'« 


.^ 


iCp-i   '■■v?,v,. 


^      -.VT--.- 


'^: 


, 


h 


i. 


t 


LOSS  OF  THE  8HIF  LOGAN  BT  FIRE. 


adr 


the  starboard  side  of  the  pump- well,  found  the  cotton  oe 
^re.  They  commenced  throwing  on  water  and  heaving 
the  cotton  overboard,  first  cutting  the  bales  in  pieces. 
After  working  in  this  way  for  some  time,  and  heaving 
overboard  eight  or  ten  bales,  it  was  found  that  the  fire 
was  raging  between  decks  on  the  larboard  sidc^;  they 
then  left  the  lower  hold,  and  commenced  breakmg  out 
between  decks,  and  in  a  short  time  broke  out  twenty  or 
thirty  bales ;  but  the  smoke  became  so  suffocating  as  to 
oblige  the  hands  to  leave  the  hold  and  close  the  hatches. 

It  was  now  night,  and  the  ship  ^vas  under  close  reefed 
topsails ;  after  all  the  hatches  were  closed  up,  tho  upper 
decks  began  to  grow  hot:  with  the  determination,  there- 
fore, to  save  the  ship  and  cargo  if  possible,  holes  were 
cut  around  the  pumps  and  capstan,  and  water  poured 
down,  which  was  continued  all  night.  At  daylight, 
found  that  all  the  upper  deck,  from  the  mainmast  to  the 
after-hatch,  was  on  fire,  and  in  some  places  the  deck  had 
burnt  through.  The  main  hatches  were  taken  off,  and 
about  one  hour  was  spent  in  heaving  down  water,  when 
the  smoke  became  so  dense  that  the  men  could  stand  it 
no  longer.  The  hatches  were  then  closed  for  the  last 
time,  and  they  continued  throwing  water  through  Hie 
holes  that  were  cut,  the  fire  still  gaining  so  £eist  tidaj^  xia 
hope  was  left  of  saving  the  ship.  # 

The  long-boat  was  now  ordered  out,  and  60  ws^^ixanot 
water  and  what  provision  could  be  ofetoined,  piit  om 
board,  when  the  officers  and  crew,  16  in  number,  em^ 
barked  in  her,  (being  in  lat.  33  N.  long.  66  W.)  having  t 
saved  nothing  but  a  chronometer  and  quadrant,  and  what 
clothes  they  stood  in.  The  nearest  land  was  the  island 
of  Bermuda,  which  bore  about  S.  E.,  100  miles  distant, 
which  they  endeavored  to  reach,  but  the  wind  blo#mi^ 
heavy  from  W.  S.  W.,  could  not  fetch  it,  but  drifted  to  tfafi 
eastward  of  it,  when  they  fortunately  fell  in  with  tbe 
Grand  Turk,  and  were  rescued  from-  a  watery  grave,  after 
having  been  in  the  boat  five  days,  most  of  which  time  it 
was  blowing  a  gale.  Captain  Madigan  kindly  took  them 
on  board,  and  treated  them  with  every  attention  whicb^ . 
their  distressed  situation  required.  _  -  -^,  « ..^z* 


i;,# 


■:«i.S 


■■'V-->, 


m^.- 


'"'■■*„ 


.«♦!««  %%  ¥*X!^' 


«w>o>'t,. 


■rsij 


I 

'ifw    LOSS  OP  THE  SHIP  MARGARET,     '''^^"l. 

an  Op  ^em,  wrecked  at  sea  on  the  21st  of  May,  1810. 
The  following  account  was  published  by  captain  Fair- 
field, afitor  his  arrival  at  Marblehead. 

We  sailed  from  Naples,  homeward  bound,  on  the  10th 
<^  April,  with  a  "crew,  including  officers,  of  fifteen  in 
number,  together  with  thirty-one  passengers,  making 
forty-six  in  all,  men  and,  boys.  We  passed  through  the 
Out  of  Gibraltar  the  22d  of  April ;  nothing  of  moment 
occurr^  until  Sunday,  20th  May,  when  in  latitude  40, 
north,  longitude  39,  30,  west,  having  strong  breezes  of 
wind  atS.  B.aiid  E.  S.  E.  and  rainy  weather;  at  10 
A.  M.  took  in  royalS;  top-^Uant  studding-sails,  fore  and 
mizzen  top-gallant-sails,  jibs,  stay-sails,  and  main-sail ; 
at  meridian,  wind  and  weather  continued  as  before-men- 
tioned ;  at  one  P.  M.,  on  the  2l8t,  the  foretopmast  studding 
sail  halyards  parted;  the  studding-sail  fell  overboard,  fill- 
ed with  water,  and  carried  away  the  studding-sail  boom ; 
WB  took  in  lower  studding-sail  spanker,  and  mizzen  top- 
•aii,.by  which  time  it  became  squally,  and^we  immedi- 
ately clewed  down  fore  and  maintop-sail,  and  let  fly  the 
sheets^^the  wind  shifted  in  an  instant  from  E.  S.  E.  to 
S.  Wii  and  although  the  helm  was  hard  to  weather,  we 
could  not  get  the  ship  before  the  wind,  but  was  instantly 
hove  on  her  beam  ends.  Every  person  on  board  the 
ship  being  at  this  time  on  deck,  reached  either  the  bot- 
tom or  side  of  the  ship,  and  held  on.  We  secured  an 
axe,  smd  immediately  cut  away  the  weather  lanyard  of' 
the  ibrouds,  masts,  and  long-boat,  which  being  done 
the  ship  righted,  being  full  of  water,  her  hatches  off, 
chests,  water-casks,  &c.,  drifting  amongst  the  wreck; 
the  guns,  anchors,  caboose,  and  every  article  on  deck, 
we  hove  overboard  to  lighten  the  ship,  and  endeavored 
to  clear  the  wreck  of  spars,  rigging,  &c.,  which  lay  beat- 
ing against  her  to  windward ;  but  our  efforts  were  in 
vain,  the  starboard  lanyards  of  the  riirouds  being  deep 


'■W^' 


..^ 


%■ 


LOSS  OF    THB  SHIP  MABOARBT. 


.*« 


under  water,  and  fast  to  the  ship,  and  the  sea  making  a 
continual  breach  over  her :  during  this  time  the  long- 
boat lay  beating  among  the  wreck  of  spart^  ^.,  bottom 
up,  the  pinnace  being  wrecked  entirely  to  pecei^cept 
her  keel,  and  about  three  streaks  of  the  boards  of  her 
bottom  lay  in  the  same  situation  as  the  long-boat,  and 
the  stem  boat  lying  at  a  small  distance  from  the  ship, 
full  of  water,  with  her  gunwale*  torn  off,  butts  started 
a»istom  about  half  store  in.  It  was  with  the  utmost 
dimculty  that  we  bailed  her  out,  and  kept  her  so  far  free 
as  to  enable  us  to  get  a  rope  fast  to  the  long-boat,  by 
which  we  hauled  her  alongside  the  ship,  turned  her 
over  and  found  her  to  be  badly  stove,  her  gunwales  and 
stem  broken  entirely  off,  her  wood-ends  and  garboard 
streak  open,  and  large  holes  in  her  bottom,  so  that  we 
found  it  impossible  to  bail  her  out,  and  we  were  under 
the  necessity  of  upsetting  her  again  in  the  sea,  with  the 
hope  of  being  able  to  stop  a  part  of  the  holes  in  her  bot- 
tom, which  we  in  part  effected  by  driving  the  butts  to- 
sether  and  by  putting  canvass,  &c.,  into  the  largest  holes 
m  her  bottom ;  after  which  we  turned  her  over  again, 
and  by  continual  bailing  with  every  bucket,  &c.,  which 
we  could  procure,  we  were  enabled  to  keep  her  from 
sinking,  still  keeping  undej  the  lee  of  the  i^ip.  By  this 
time  it  was  about  7  P.  M. ;  when  the  boat  being  hauled 
near  to  the  ship  for  the  purpose  of  getti.ig  canvass  and 
oakum  to  stop  the  leak,  as  many  men  as  could  reach  the 
long-boat  jumped  into  her,  and  finding  the  boat  would 
be  again  sunk  if  we  remained  so  near  the  ship,  we  were 
obliged  to  veer  the  boat  to  leeward  of  the  ship  at  the  dis- 
tance of  fifteen  or  twc  nty  fathoms,  being  twelve  in  num- 
ber in  the  boat.  We  had  not  been  in  this  situatiim  but  a 
short  time,  before  one  man  jumped  from'the  ship  into  the 
sea  and  made  for  the  boat;  we  took  him  in,  but  finding 
that  all  on  board  were  determined  to  pursue  the  tame 
plan,  we  were  obliged  to  veer  the  boat  further  off.  We 
stated  to  those  on  board  the  ship  our  situation,  which 
was  also  evident  to  them,  as  it  required  all  our  exertions 
to  keep  the  boat  from  sinking.  During  the  night,  we  lay 
with  a  rope  fast  from  the  ship  to  the  boat,  and  under 


\*i 


Tlv 


BUUEKABLB  UHirWIIBGKI. 


[   I 


her  l«e,  when  the  people  on  board  the  ship  being  exceed* 
ingly  anxious  to  get  into  the  boat,  (which  had  they  ef* 
feoted  we  should  all  have  been  inevitaJbly  lost,)  kept  haul- 
ing the  boat  towards  them ;  we  then  bent  on  aaother 
rope,  and  veered  out  as  they  hauled ;  but  finding  they 
were  determined  to  sink  the  boat  by  getting  into  her,  we 
were  obliged  (after  stating  repeatedly  to  tfaMii  our  situ- 
ation) to  tell  them,  that  provided  they  persisted  in  getting 
into  the  boat,  we  should  be  obliged,  thou^  very  roftuc- 
tantly,  to  cut  the  rope  and  leave  them ;  after  which  %ey 
desisted  from  hauling  the  boat  towards  the  ship.  At 
this  time,  we  were  thirteen  in  number  in  the  long-boat, 
and  two  men  in  the  stem-boat  !ying  under  the  lee  of  the 
ship,  continually  bailing  to  keep  her  from  sinking^  which 
augmented  our  number  to  more  than  could  with  any  de- 
gree of  safety  littempt  to  leave  the  ship,  in  the  long-boat, 
in  the  shattered  condition  she  was  then  in.  # 

Monday  morning, — ^moderate  breezes  and  sea  tolera- 
bly smooUi ;  at  which  time  the  people  on  the  wreck  were 
about  half  of  them  on  the  taffrel  rail,  and  the  remainder 
on  Uie  bowsprit  and  windlass,  every  other  part  of  her 
being  under  water  continually.  They  kept  entreating 
us  to  take  them  into  the  boat ;  we  then  told  them  our 
determinatiia  was  to  continue  by  the  ship  while  she 
kept  together,  and  that  the  boat  was  not  in  a  situaticm  to 
leave  them,  unljss  they  attempted  to  come  into  her ;  but 
if  any  of  them  mice  made  the  attempt,  we  should  be  un- 
der that  necessity,  notwithstanding  our  wretched  situ- 
ation, having  no  compass,  quadrant,  or  any  instrument 
whatever  by  which  we  could  direct  o\ir  course,  nor  a 
single  drop  of  fresh  water  in  the  boat,  and  two  men  con-' 
tinually  bailing ;  all  of  which  circumstancos  were  known 
to. them.  ■''??  **'■• 

AbotU  this  time,  casks  of  brandy  and  sundry  other 
allies  of  the  cargo  were  drifting  from  the  wreck ; 
anfaiongst  which  we  picked  up  the  mizzen  top-gallant 
sail,  two  spanr,  five  oars,  one  cask  of  oil,  one  drowiied 
pig,  and  one  goat,  one  bag  of  bread,  and  they  hove  us  a 
gallon  keg  of  brandy  from  the  ship;  we  then  fixed  a  sail 
wf  the  boat  firom  the  miazen  top^^lant  saiL    It  being 


Lom  9f  tin  sMir  maroarki' 


we 


now  about  11,  A.  M.  the  people  on  the  wreck  were  agaii^  | 
determined  to  get  into  the  boat,  and  began  by  jumping 
into  the  sea.    Seeing  their  intention,  we  veered  the  boat 
Airther  from  the  ship  and  they  again  returned  to  her, 
after  which  we  ropeated  to  them  our  determination  to 
continue  by  them  ko  long  as  the  ship  held  together,  but 
if  any  other  person  attempted  to  come  into  the  boat,  wo 
should  that  instant  leave  them,  notwithstanding  our  des-' 
per^  situation.    At  this  time  they  had  secured  on  the 
wrMK,  two  quadrants,  two  compasses,  one  hogshead  of 
water,  bread,  flour,  and  a  plenty  of  provisions,  as  they 
frequently  informed  us ;  but  they  would  not  spare  us 
any  of  these  articles  unless  we  consented  to  come  along- 
side the  ship  with  the  boat,  which  had  we  done,  we 
should  have  been  sunk  in  an  instant,  as  they  were  pre- 
pared to  jump,  having  oars,  chests,  d&c.,  ready  for  the 
purpose  on  the  tafllrel  rail.    Notwithstanding  they  knew 
our  determination  and  the  impossibility  of  our  taking 
them  into  the  boat,  they  still  persisted  in  trying  to  get 
into  her,  and  one  of  them  jumped  into  the  sea  and  made  ^ 
for  the  small  boat ,  which  lay  veered  to  the  leeward  of  ^e 
ship,  which  he  reiached :  but  finding  we  would  not  taka  ' 
him  into  ^ne  long-boat,  ne  returned  to  the  ship  with  tha  > 
small  boat.    As  they  were  now  all  determined  to  pursua 
the  same  plan,  we  were  under  the  painful  necessity  of  | 
cutting  the  rope  by  which  we  were  fast  to  the  ship,  and  | 
row  and  sail  nrom  them  for  the  preservation  of  o\it  lives^  'I 
in  the  hope  of  falling  in  with  some  tressel  to  relieve  uk  I 
which  was  almost  the  only  hope  we  had  lef^  being  about ' 
four  hundred  miles  distant  from  the  nearest  land,  and  ia 
the  desperate  situation  before  stated.    At  diia  time,  it 
was  about  meridian,  with  moderate  wind  from  thesou^ 
ward  and  westward ;  we  made  our  course  as  nearly  >aairt  • 
as  possible,  for  the  island  of  Corvo  or  Floras,  awi  ttan^^ 
last  we  saw  of  the  ship  she  was  lying  in  the  same  sitw* 
ation  as  when  we  parted  from  her.    We  continued  oitf 
course  to  ^e  eastward,  having  the  winds  variable  from 
S.  S.  £.  to  N.  W.,  and  two  men  ccttiiStantly  bailing ; 
steering  in  the  night  by  the  stars,  when  to  be  seen,  and 
in  dark  cloudy  weather  by  the  heaving  of  th6  ste,  and  id^- 


319 


.1  BBMAKXABLI  SHIPWJtlCIS. 


M 


the  da/time,  by  judging  from  the  bearhig  of  the  suu, 
when  to  be  seen,  and  when  Qot,  by  the  best  of  our  judg- 
ment. For  four  days  we  continued  in  this  situation 
without  seeing  anv  vessel ;  but  on  Saturday,  26th  of 
Mav,  at  one  P.  M.,  to  our  great  joy  we  espied  a  sail, 
which  proved  to  be  the  brig  Poacher,  of  Boston,  captain 
James  Dunn,  from  Alicant,  who  took  us  on  boara  and 
treated  us  with  every  attention  and  civility. 

As  nothing  was  afterwards  heard  of  the  vessel,  aUihat 
remained  on  the  wreck,  (thirty-one  in  number,  )i  un- 
doubtedly perished,  k)  yiw<4<T  <^  Uh 


7 '4(1 


^■.     ¥'   ' 


^m-fm>m     BURNING  OF  THE  KENT. 


''*     ■  nil 


The  Kent,  captain  Henry  Cobb,  a  fine  new  ship  of 
one  thousand  three  hundred  and  fifty  tons,  bound  to 
Bengal  and  China,  left  the  Downs  on  the  19th  of  Febru- 
ary, with  twenty  officers,  three  hundred  and  fort}^four 
soldiers,  forty-three  women,  and  sixty-six  children,  be- 
longing to  the  thirty-first  regiment ;  with  twenty  private 
passengers,  and  a  crew  (including  officers)  of  one  hun- 
dred and  forty-eiehtinen,  on  board. 

On  the  night  of  Monday,  the  38th  of  February,  1827, 
when  the  Kent  was  in  latitude  47  degrees  30  minutes, 
longitude  10  degrees,  a  violent  gale  blew  from  the  west, 
and  gradually  increased  during  the  following  momins;. 
fWhe  rolling  of  the  vessel  becac  c  tremendous  about  mia- 
Bight,  so  Uiat  the  best  fastened  articles  of  furniture  in 
the  principal  cabins  were  dashed  about  with  violence, 
and  the  main-chains  were  thrown  at  every  lurch  under 
water. 

It  was  a  little  before  this  period,  that  one  of  the  offi- 
cers of  the  ship,  with  the-  well-meant  intention  of  ascer- 
taining that  aXl  was  fast  below,  descended  with  two  of 
the  sailors  into  the  hold,  where  they  carried  with  them, 
for  safety,  a  light  in  the  patent  lantern  ;  and  seeing  that 
the  lamp  burned  dimly,  the  officer  took  the  precaution  to 
hand  it  up  the  orlop-deck  to  be  trimmed.    Having  ^itovr 


BVBMIIM  or  THB  KBNT. 


MS 


the  8UU, 
ur  judg- 
litudtion 
26th  of 
)d  a  sail, 
,  captain 
>ara  and 

I,  alUhat 
»er,)|un- 

...  j^'  nu 

r  ship  of 
bound  to 
)f  Febru- 
fortj»-four 
dren,  be- 
y  private 
one  hun- 

ry,  1827, 
minutes, 
the  west, 
morninff. 
x>ut  mid- 
rniture  in 
violence, 
rch  under 

if  the  offi- 
of  aacer- 
th  two  of 
ith  them, 
ieing  that 
caution  to 
ing  ftfter- 


wards  discovered  one  of  the  spirit  casks  to  be  adrift,  he 
tent  the  sailors  for  some  billets  of  wood  to  secure  it;  bat 
the  ship  in  their  absence  having  made  a  heavy  lurch, 
the  officer  unfortunately  dropped  the  light ;  anq  letting 

Ehis  hold  of  the  cask  in  his  eagerness  to  recover  the 
Item,  it  suddenly  stove,  and  the  spirits  communicating 
with  the  lamp,  the  whole  place  was  instantly  in  a  bla«e. 

It  so  happened  that  the  author  iMOt  into  the  cuddy 
to  obaerve  ttie  state  of  the  barometeir,  when  ho  received 
from  captain  Spence,'  the  captain  of  the  day,  the  alarm* 
ing  information  that  the  ship  was  on  fire  in  the  after 
hold. 

As  lonff  as  the  derouring  element  appeared  to  be  con- 
fined to  me  spot  where  the  fire  origmated,  and  which 
we  were  assured  was  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  water 
casks,  we  ventured  to  cherish  hopes  that  it  might  be 
subdued ;  but,  no  soon^T  was  the  light  blue  vapor  mat  at 
first  arose  succeeded  by  volumes  of  thick  dingy  smoke, 
which  speedily  ascended  through  all  the  four  hatchways, 
rolling  over  every  part  of  the*  ship,  than  all  fkrther  con- 
cealment became  impossible,  and  almost  all  hope  of  pre- 
serving the  vessel  was  abandoned.  "  The  flames  have 
reach^  the  cable  tier,"  was  exclaimed  by  some  indi- 
viduals, and  the  strong  pitchy  smell  that  pervaded  the 
deck  confirmed  the  truth  of  the  exclamation. 
n  In  these  awful  circumstances,  captain  Cobb,  with  an 
ability  and  decision  of  chamcter  that  seemed  to  increase 
with  the  imminence  of  the  danger,  resorted  to  the  only 
alternative  now  left  him,  of  ordering  the  Idwer  deck  to 
be  scuttled,  the  combing  of  the  hatches  to  be  cut,  and 
the  lower  ports  to  be  opened,  for  the  free  admission  of 
the  waves. 

These  instructions  were  speedily  executed  by  the  unit- 
ed efforts  of  the  troops  and  seamen :  but  not  belbve  some 
of  the  sick  soldiers,  one  woman,  and  several.  ^Idren, 
unable  to  gain  the^  upper  deck,,  had  perished.  On  de- 
scending to  the  gun-deck  with  colonel  Fearon,  «iplain 
Bray,  and  one  or  two  other  officers  of  the  3tst  regiteeht, 
to  assist  in  opening  the  ports,  I  met,  staggerii^  towards 
the  hatchway,  in  ah  exhausted  and  nearly  aenseksa 
27 


tl4 


■MIABKAW.K  IHIPWMBOKf. 


U 


1 1 
f  ■ 


;■ 


■late,  one  of  the  mates,  who  informed  us  that  he  had 
just  stumbled  ovar  the  dead  bodies  of  some  individuals 
who  must  have  died  from  suffocation,  to  which  it  was 
evident  that  he  himself  had  almost  fallen  a  victim.  ^V) 
dense  and  oppressive  was  the  smoke,  that  it  was  with 
the  utmost  difficulty  we  could  remain  long  enough  h^ 
low  to  fulfil  oaptam  Cobb's  wishes:  wlueh  were  no 
sooner  acconmdiuied  than  the  sea  rushed  in  with  extra- 
ordinary force,  carrying  away  in  its  resistless  progress 
to  the  hold,  the  largest  chests,  bulk-heads,  &ie.  * 

On  tile  .one  hand  stood  death  by  fire,  on  the  other^ 
death  by  water :  the  dilemma  was  dreadful.  Preferring 
always  the  more  remote  aitemative,  the  unfortunate 
crew  were  at  one  moment  attempting  to  check  the  fire 
by  means  of  water ;  and  when  the  water  became  the 
most  threatening  enemy,  their  efibrts  were  turned  to  the 
exclusion  of  the  waves,  and  the  fire  was  permitted  to 
rage  with  all  its  fury.  \ 

The  scene  of  horror  that  now  presented  itself,  baffles 
all  description.  The  upper  deck  was  covered  with  be- 
tween six  and  seven  hundred  human  beings,  many  of 
whom,  from  previous  sea-sickness,  were  forced  on  the 
first  alarm  to  flee  from  below  in  a  state  of  absolute  na- 
kedness, and  were  now  running  about  in  quest  of  hus- 
bands, children  or  parents. 

p  While  some  were  standing  in  silent  resignation,  or  in 
stupid  inseiisibility  to  their  impending  fate,  others  were 
yielding  themselves  up  to  the  most  frantic  despair. 
Some  on  their  knees  were  earnestly  impioritig,  with 
significantjiesticulations  and  in  noisy  supplications,  the 
mercy  of  mu,  whose  arm,  they  exclaimed,  was  at  length 
outstretched  to  smite  them ;  others  were  to  be  seen  has- 
tily crossing  themselves,  and  performing  the  various  ex- 
ternal acts  required  by  their  peculiar  persuasion,  while 
A  number  of  the  older  and  more  stout-hearted  sailors 
suddenly  took  their  seats  directly  over  the  magazine, 
hoping)  as  they  stated,  that  by  means  of  the  explosion, 
which  they  every  instant  expected,  a  speedier  termina- 
tion might  thereby  be  put  to  their  sufferings.  i.  ^<i 
ru  Captain  Cobb,   with  great  forethought,  ordered  ^ 


wumw  or  nn  omt. 


816 


he  hud 
viduala 
it  was 
im.  f'o 
SIS  with 
ugh  be- 
fore no 
h  extra- 
piogreM 

ie  other, 
referring 
brtunate 
the  fire 
ame  the 
)d  to  the 
litted  to 

r,  baffles 
with  be- 
nany  of 
I  on  the 
3lute  na- 
\.  of  hus- 

[>n,  or  in 
era  were 
despair. 
Qg,  with 
ions,  the 
at  length 
teen  has- 
rious  ex- 
n,  while 
1  sailors 
lagaziuO) 
plosion, 
termina- 

ered  th» 


deck  to  be  scuttled  forward,  with  a  riew  to  draw  th« 
fire  in  that  direction,  knowing  that  between  it  and  tlie 
magazine  were  several  tiers  of  water  casks ;  while  he 
hoped  that  the  wet  sails,  ^.,  thrown  into  the  after-hold, 
would  prevent  it  froHji  Qonmmnioatiog  wilb  tho  ifiril- 
foom  abaft        .t'-r<^!«f  "  •«  fii*,  :*:"f«»ftnt     ts  '^ynirt^Vr* 

Several  of  the  soldiers'  wives  and  children,  who  had 
fled  for  temporary  shelter  into  the  after-cabins  on  the 
upper  deck,  were  .enga^;ed  in  praying  and  in  reading  the 
scriptures  with  the  ladies,  some  of  whom  were  enabled, 
with  wonderful  self-possession,  to  offer  to  others  those 
spiritual  consolations,  which  a  firm  and  intelligent  trust 
in  the  Redeemer  of  the  world  appeared  at  this  awful 
hour  to  impart  to  their  own  breasts.  r*?  /  '    * 

All  hope  had  departed  !  thd  employment  of  the  diffe- 
rent individuals  indicated  utter  despair  of  resoiie— one 
was  removing  a.  lock  of  hair  from  his  writing  desk  to 
his  bosom— others  were  awaiting  their  fate  in  stupors- 
some  with  manly  fortitude — others  bewailing  it  with 
loud  and  bitter  lamentation — and  part  were  occupied  in 
prayer  and  mutual  encouragement. 

It  was  at  this  appalling  instar'  Mrhen  ''all  hope  that 
we  should  be  saved  was  taken  away,"  that  it  occurred 
to  Mr.  Thompson,  the  fourth  maue,  to  send  a  man  to  the 
foretop,  rather  with  the  arcknt  wish  than  the  expecta- 
tion, that  some  friendlv  sail  might  be  discovered  on  the 
face  of  the  waters.  The  sailor,  on  mounting,  threw  his 
eyes  roun4  the  horizon  for  a  moment — a  moment  of  un- 
utterable suspense — and  waving  his  hat,  exclaimed,  "  A 
sail  on  the  lee-bow !"  The  joyful  annouoeement  was 
received  with  deep-felt  thanksgiving,  and  with  three 
cheers  upon  deck.  Our  flags  of  distress  were  instantly 
hoisted,  and  our  minute  guns  fired :  and  we  endeavored 
to  bear  down  un^er  our  throe  topsails  uid  foresail  upon 
the  stranger,  which  afterwards  proved  to  be  the  Cam- 
bria, a  small  brig  of  two  hundred  tons  burden,  captain 
Cook,  bound  to  Vera  Cruz,  having  on  board  twenty  or 
thirty  Cornish  ininers,  and  other  agents  of  thttAl^lo«' 
Mexii^  company.  tTi  -^v-        ^  l>^i^ 

While  captain  Cobb,  colonel  Feafon,  aiad  major  Matm 


■  i*^»v^" 


WB 


tLiiiSiSkSSluk  8Hi^f^i£lc8. 


«*.'.. 


gnsgoe  c^  the  31i»t  Tegiiment,  were  consulting  together,  as 
the  brig  was  approaching  us,  on  the  necessary  prepa- 
rations K>r  getting  out  the  boats,  &c.,  one  of  the  officers 
asked  major  Macgregbr  in  what  order  it  was  intended 
the  offioe«B  should  move  off  7  to  which  the  other  replied, 
"Of  course,  the  funeral  order ^  which  injunction  was 
iastantly  confirmed  by  colonel  Peafon,  who  said,  "  Most 
undoubtedly  the  juni<^  first— bilt  see  that  any  man  is 
cut  down  who  presumes  to  enter  the  boats  before  the 
means  of  escape  are  presented  to  the  women  and  chil- 
dren."       »'■''■''  OJ-    T^!^«.^  «^^    .i%y^-i'"^^^fi{~'i-yf^.  .*i,.it-«W^>y-^-;'   iU.  V 

Arranoements  hariii^  hden  considerateTj^  made  by 
captain  Cobb  for  placing  in  the  first  boat,  previous  to 
letting  it  down,  all  the  ladies,  and  as  many  of  the  sol- 
diers' wives  as  it  could  safely  contain,  they  hurriedly 
wrapt  themsieives  up  in  whatever  article  of  clothing 
could  be  most  conveniently  found ;  and  I  think  about 
two,  or  half  past  two  o'clock,  a  most  mournful  procession 
advanced  from  the  after  cabins  ta  the  starboard  cud- 
dy-porty  outside  of  which  the  cutter  was  suspended. 
Scarcely  a  word  was  heard — ^not  a  scream  was  uttered — 
even  the  infants  ceased  to  cry,  as  if  conscious  pf  the  un- 
spoken and  unspeakable  anguish  that  was  at  this  in- 
stant rending  the  hearts  of  the  parting  parents — ^nor  was 
the  silence  of  voices  in  any  way  broken,  except  in  one 
or  two  cases,  when  the  ladies  plaintively  entreated  to  be 
left  behind  with  their  husbands.  But  on  being  assured 
that  every  moment's  delay  might  occasion  the  sacrifice 
of  human  life,  they  successively  sufiered  themselves  to 
be  torn  from  the  tender  embrace,  and  with  a  fortitude 
which  never  fails  to  characterize  and  adorn  their  £.ex  on 
occasions  of  overwhelming  trial,  were  placed,  without  a 
murmur,  in  the  boat,  which  was  immediately  lowered 
into  a  sea  so  tempestuous,  aS  to  leave  us  only  "  to  hope 
against  hope"  that  it  should  l^e  in  it  for  a  single  moment. 
Twice  the  cry  was  beard  from  those  on  the  chains  that 
the  boat  was  swamping.  But  He  who  enabled  the  apos- 
le  Bcter  to  walk  on  the  face  of  he  deep,  and  was  gra- 
ciously attending  to  the  silent  but  earnest  a^irat^oiia  of 
those  6n  boards  had  decreed  its  safety.  ■■<<,:. 


her,  as 
prepa- 
officers 
Ltended 
replied, 
on  was 
"  Most 
man  is 
'ore  the 
id  <?hil- 

ade  by 
ions  to 
the  sol- 
irriedly 
slothing 
c  about 
jcessioii 
rd  cud- 
pended. 
ttered — 
the  un- 
this  in- 
ner was 

in  one 
ed  to  be 
assured 
sacrifice 
elves  to 
brtitude 

&ex  on 
ithout  a 
lowered 
to  hope 
noment. 
ins  that 
le  apos- 
(ras  gra- 
tiona  of 


BUUfINO  OF  THB  WBftT, 


m 


.  After  one  or  two  unsuccessful  attempts  to  place  the 
little  frail  bark  fairly  upon  the  surface  of  the  water,  thif 
command  was  at  length  given  to  unihook ;  the  tackle  at 
the  stern  was  in  consequence  immediately  cleared;  but 
the  ropes  at  the  bow  having  got  foul,  the  sailor  there 
found  it  impossible  to  obey  the  order.  In  vain  was  the 
axe  applied  to  the  entangled  tackle.  The  moment  was 
inconceivably  '*ritical;  as  the  boat,  which  necessarily 
followed  the  m  ^ion  of  the  ship,  was  gradually  rising  out 
of  the  water,  and  must,  in  another  instant,  have  been 
hanging  perpendicularly  by  the  bow,  and  its  helpless 
passengers  launched  into  the  deep,  had  not  a  most  provi- 
dential wave  suddenly  struck  and  lifted  up  the  stem,  so 
as  to  enable  the  seaman  to  disengage  the  tackle ;  and 
the  boat  being  dexterously  cleared  from  the  ship,  was 
seen  after  a  little  while  battling  with  the  billows ;  now 
raised,  in  its  progress  to  the  brig,  like  a  speck  on  their 
summit,  and  then  disappearing  for  several  seconds,  as 
If  engulphed  "  in  the  horrid  vale"  between  them.  < 

Two  or  three  soldiers,  to  relieve  their  wives  of  a  part 
of  their  families,  sprang  into  the  water  with  their  chil- 
dren, and  perished  in  their  endeavors  tc  save  them. 
One  young  lady,  who  had  resolutely  refused  to  quit  her 
father,  whose  sense  of^uty  kept  him  at  his  post,  was 
near  falling  a  sacrifice  to  her  fihal  devotion,  not  having 
been  picked  up  by  those  in  the  boats,  until  she  had  sunk 
five  or  six  times.  Another  individual,  who  was  reduced 
to  the  frightful  alternative  of  losing  his  wiib,  or  his  chil- 
dren, hastily  decided  in  favor  of  his  duty  to  the  former. 
His  wife  was  accordingly  saved,  but  his  four  children, 
alas !  were  left  to  perish.  A  fine  fellow,  a  soldier,  who 
had  neither  wife  nor  child  of  his  own,  but  who  evinced 
the  greatest  solicitude  for  the  safety  of  those  of  others, 
insisted  on  having  three  children  lashed  to  him,  with 
whom  he  plunged  into  the  water;  not  being  able  to 
reach  the  boat,  he  was  drawn  again  into  the  ship  with 
his  charge,  but  not  before  two  of  the  children  had  oxt>^ 
pired.  One  man  fell  down  the  hatchway  into  the  flames, 
and  another  had  his  back  so  completely  broken  as  to 
have  been  observed  quite  doubled  falUng  overbowd. 
2" 


# 

"S 


titt 


B»iXsi(jiii<^^tttl'  I^WIAiis. 


V  t 


*l%6  humerous  spectacles  of  individuletl  loss  and  sidlbhng 
%^re  not  confined  to  the  entrance  upon  the  perilous  yojr- 
age  between  the  two  ships.  One  man,  who  fell  between 
the  boat  and  brig,  had  his  head  hterally  crushed  fine — 
and  some  others  were  lost  in  their  attempts  to  ascend 
the  sides  of  the  Cambria.  '  ^»^«^^* 

'^  When  the  gKater  part  of  the  men  had  been  disposed 
'6ir,  the  gradual  remoral  of  the  ofiicers  commenced,  and 
was  marked  by  a  discipline  the  most  rigid,  and  an  intre- 
pidity the  most  exemplary :  none  appearing  to  be  influ- 
enced by  a  vain  and  ostentatious  bravery,  which  in  cases 
of  extreme  peril,  affords  rather  a  presumptive  proof  of 
secret  timidity  than  of  fortitude ;  nor  any  oetraying  un- 
manly or  unsoldier-like  impatience  to  quit  the  ship*  but 
with  the  becoming  deportment  of  men  neither  paralyzed 
by,  nor  profkhely  insensible  to,  the  accumulating  dan- 
gers that  encompassed  them,  they  progressively  departed 
in  the  different  boats  with  their  soldiers; — they  who 
happened  to  proceed  first,  leaving  behind  them  an  exam- 
pte  of  coolness  that  could  not  he  unprofitable  to  those 
who  followed. 

Every  individual  was  desired  to  tie  a  rope  round  his 
waist.  While  the  people  were  busily  occupied  in  adopt- 
ing this  recommendation,  I  was  surprised,  1  had  almost 
said  amused,  by  the  singular  delicacy  of  one  of  the  Irish 
recruits,  who  in  searching  for  a  rope  in  one  of  the  cabins, 
called  out  to  me  that  he  coufd  fina  none  except  the  cor- 
dage belonging  to  an  ofiicer's  cot,  and  wished  to  know 
whether  there  would  be  any  harm  in  his  appropriating 
it  to  his  own  use. 

Again:  As  an  agreeable  proof  too,  of  the  subordina- 
tion and  good  feeling  that  governed  the  poor  soldiers 
in  the  midst  of  their  sufferings,  I  ought  to  state  that  to- 
ward the  evening,  when  the  melancholy  group  who 
were  passively  seated  on  the  pOop,  exhausted  by  previous 
fatigue,  anxiety  and  fasting,  were  beginning  to  experi- 
ertce  the  pain  of  intolerable  thirst,  a  box  of  oranges  was 
accidentally  discovered  by  some  of  the  men,  who  with 
a  degree  of  nAn^ed  consideration,  respect,  and  afiR^tion, 
that  could  hardly  have  been  expteted  at  such  ^moment. 


\ 
X 


BURMINO  OP  TBI  KBMK 


1119 


»:  Dill 
ilyzed 


leinsed  to  partake  of  the  grateful  beverage,  until  thej^ 
had  afforded  a  share  of  it  to  their  officers. 

The  spaiBker-boom  of  so  large  a  ship  as  the  Kent; 
which  projects,  I  should  think,  sixteen  or  eighteen  feet 
over  the  stem,  rests  <m  ordinary  occasions  aboort  nineteen 
or  twenty  feet  above  the  water ;  but  in  the  position  in 
which  we  were  (rfaced,  from  the  great  height  of  the  sea, 
and  consequent  pitching  of  the  ship,  it  was  frequently 
lifted  to  a  height  of  not  less  than  ^irtyor  forty  ^t  from 
the  surface.  *s«  tK>«>  '  '        tmn 

To  reach  the  rope,  therefore,  that  hung  from  its  ex- 
tremity, was  an  operation  that  seemed  to  require  the  aid 
of  as  niuch  dexterity  of  hand  as  steadiness  of  head. 
For  it  was  not  orJy  Uie  nervousness  of  creeping  along 
the  boom  itseli,  <  ^^  extreme  difficulty  of  afterwards 
seizing  on  and  sJ  ^  down  by  the  rope,  thaj;  we  had  to 
dr^d,  and  that  occasioned  the  loss  of  some  valuable 
lives,  by  deterring  the  men  from  adopting  this  mode  of 
escape :  but  as  the  boat,  which  one  moment  was  proba- 
bly under  the  boom,  might  be  carried  the  next,  by  the 
force  of  the  waves,  fifteen  or  twenty  yards  from  it,  the 
unhappy  individual,  whose  best  calculations  were  thus 
defeated,  was  generally  left  swinging  for  some  time  in 
mid-air,  if  he  was  not  repeatedly  plunged  several  feet 
under  water,  or  dashed  with  dangerous  violence  against 
the  sides  of  the  returning  boat— or,  what  not  unfrequent- 
ly  happened,  was  forced  to  let  go  his  hold  of  the  rope 
altogether.  As  there  seemed,  however,  no  alternative, 
I  did  not  hesitate,  notwithstanding  my  ccqnparative  in- 
experience and  awkwardness  in  such  a  situation,  to 
throw  my  leg  across  the  perilous  stick :  and  with  a  heart 
extremely  grateful  that  such  means  of  deliverance,  dan- 
gerous as  they  appeared,  were  still  extended  to  me  ;  and 
more  grateful  still  that  1  had  been  enabled,  in  common 
with  others,  to  dischtirge  my  honest  duty  to  my  sove- 
reign and  to  my  fellow-soldiers ;  I  proceeded,  after  confi- 
dently committing  my  spirit,  the  great  object  of  my  soli- 
citude, into  the  keeping  of  Him  who  had  formed  and  re- 
deemed it,  to  creep  slowly  forward,  feeling  at  every  step 
the  increased  difficulty  of  my  gituatifxit.    On  g«ttiF>|j 


.J  -f  -^ 


<»■ 


m 


BSH&KKABLS  tHIPWKCCKB. 


ripirly  to  the  ead  ef  the  boom,  the  young  officer  whom 
followed  and  mys<  C  were  inet  with  a  squall  of  wind 
and  rain,  so  violent  as  to  make  us  fain  to  emdHrace  close- 
ly the  alippery  stick,  without  attempting  for  some  mi- 
nutes to  Botako  any  pr<^ess,  and  to  excite  our  apprehen- 
sion that  we  must  relinquish  all  hope  of  reacning  the 
rope.  But  our  fears  were  disappointed,  and  after  resting 
for  awhile  at  the  boom-end,  while  my  ccnnpanion  was 
descending  to  the  boat,  which  he  did  not  find  until  he 
had  been  plunged  once  or  twice  over  head  in  the  water, 
I  prepared  to  follow ;  and  instead  of  lowering  myself^  as 
many  had  imprudently  done,  at  the  moment  when  the 
boat  was  inclming  towards  us — ^and  consequently  being 
unable  to  descend  the  whole  distance  before  it  again  re- 
ceded— ^I  calculated  that  while  the  boat  was  retiring,  I 
ought  to  commence  my  desceut,  which  would  probably 
be  completed  by  the  time  the  returning  wave  brought  it 
underneath;  by  which  means  I  was,  I  believe,  almost 
the  only  officer  or  soldier  who  reached  the  boat  without 
being  either  severely  bruised  or  immersed  in  the  water. 
But  my  friend  colonel  Fearon  -  ad  not  been  so  fortunate; 
for  after  swimming  for  some  time^  and  being  repeatedly 
struck  against  the  side  of  the  boat,  and  at  one  time 
djrawn  completely  under  it,  he  was  at  last  so  utterly  ex- 
hausted, that  he  must  instantly  have  let  go  his  hold  of 
the  rope  and  perished,  had  not  one  in  the  boat  seized 
him  by  the  hair  of  the  head  and  draped  him  into  it, 
almost  senseless  and  alarmingly  bruised.  {i# 

Captain  C!obb,  in  his  immovable  resolution  to  be  the 
last,  if  possible,  to  quit  his  ship,  and  in  his  gen  "ous 
anxiety  kmt  the  preservation  of  every  life  entrusted  i  his 
charge,  refused  to  seek  the  boat,  until  he  again  endea- 
vored to  urge  onward  the  few  still  arcana  him,  who 
seemed  struck  dumb  and  powerless  with  dismay.  But 
finding  all  his  entreaties  fruitless,  dtnd  hsaring  -the  guns, 
whose  tackle  was  burst  asunder  by  the  advancing 
flames,  successively  exploding  in  the  hold,  into  which 
they  had  fallen — this  gallant  officer,  after  having  nobly 
pursued,  for  the  preservation  of  others,  a  course  of  exer- 
IJMHi  that  has  \»ea  rarely  equalled  either  in  its  duration 


■y,,,,..,,. 


LOpS  OF  THE  SmP  B<M|TOK« 


891 


oir  difficulty,  at  last  ielt  it  right  to  provide  ior  his  own 
safety,  by  laying  hold  on  the  topping-lift,  or  repo  tliat 
connects  the  driver-boom  with  the  mizzen-top,  and  theref 
by  letting  over  the  heads  of  the  infatuated  men  who  oc- 
cupied the  boom,  unable  to  go  either  backward  or  for- 
ward, and  ultimately  dropping  himself  into  the  water,  j 


A 


&4 


:) 


LOSS 


"TiiJtLi*'-':' 


SHIP  BOSTON*  -'^%^M^^i^ 


A(-Jr 


An  unusual  degree  of  sensation  was  excited  in  Boston, 
on  the  first  of  June,  by  the  melancholy  tidings  of  the 
loss  of  the  packet  ship  Boston.  This  strong  and  elegant 
ship— one  of  the  finest  packets  that  belonged  to  this 
country — was  struck  by  lightning  in  the  Gulf  stream, 
six  days  out  from  Charleston,  and  burnt  to  the  water's 
edge;  We  present  .the  details  below,  as  furnished  by 
captain  Mackay .  ; . .  ^  \  • 

"  On  Tuesday,  the  25th  of  May,  lat.  39,  31,  long.  63^ 
46,  commenced  with  fresh  buwse  and  squally  weather — 
at  2  P.  M.,  heavy  rain  whiclrcontinued  until  about  sun- 
set— at  8  P.  M.,  forked  lightning  in  the  south-west,  and 
dark  and  heavy  clouds  rising  from  the  westward — at  9, 
the  wind  hauled  to  the  westward — at  10  P.  M.,  a  heavy 
cloud  began  to  rise  in  the  south-west — at  half  past  10, 
sharp  lightning,  clewed  up  the  topgallant  sails,  and  haul- 
ed the  mainsail  up— at  11,  heavy  thunder  and  ^harp 
lightning ;  the  second  flash  struck  the  ship,  burst  the 
main-royal  from  the  gaskets  and  burnt  it;  knocked 
down  the  steward  and  Isaac  Hopkins,  a  sailor,  and  filled 
the  ship  full  of  electric  fluid.  We  examined  the  ship 
immediately,  to  ascertain  if  the  masts  were  injured,  or 
the  lightning  had  passed  through  the  deck ;  but  the  mast 
appeared  uninjured,  a  bright  conpaisance  resting  on 
each  royal-mast  head.  We  single  reefed  the  main*top 
sail,  and  were  about  to  hand  the  mainsail,  when  we 
ascertained  that  the  ship  was  on  fire.  We  immediately 
cleared  the  main  and  after  hatchways,  to  get  at  the  fire, 
heaving  the  cotton  overboard  and  cutting  holes  in  the 


1 1 


-p 


IN  zaauMumM  mpwisots. 

deck,  plymg  water  in  eyerr  direction — ^bnt  all  in  rain ; 
Uve  cotton  in  the  main-hold  was  on  fire,  fore  and  aft,  xm 
both  sides,  botning  like  tinder.  Onr  only  altematir^ 
was  to  clear  away  the  boats  and  get  them  out,  part  of 
the  crew  adfid  |MUBsengers  at  work  kecnping  the  fire. down 
as  much  as  possible  by  dralring  and  heaving  water,  the 
scuppers  bemg  stopped  up ;  we  stove  water  casks  oVei 
holes  cut  in  the  deck  and  in  the  main-hatchway,  start- 
ing the  water,  but  all  to  no  good  purpose,  for  before  wc 
could  get  the  long-boat  over  the  snip's  side,  the  fire  had 
burst  through  the  deck  and  out  the  larboard  side  of  the 
ship.  The  flames  raged  with  such  violence  and  con- 
sumed the  vessel  so  quick,  that  nothing  could  be  saved 
from  the  wreck.  We  got  about  forty  gallons  of  water, 
and  provisions  sufilcient,  on  a  short  allowance,  to  keep 
the  passengers  and  crew  alive  for  three  weeks — almost 
every  thing  else  was  burnt  up  in  the  ship,  even  the 
money,  watches,  and  clothes — all  destroyed.  At  3,  A.  M. , 
the  main  and  mizzen-masts  were  burnt  off  below  deck, 
and  the  masts  fell  into  the  water ;  at  half  past  3,  the  pas- 
sengers and  crew  were  Btjff^n  the  boats ;  the  flames  had 
then  reached  the  forecastle,  and  the  ship  was  one  com- 
plete flame  of  fire,  fore  and  aft.  The  passengers  had 
exerted  themselves  to  the  utmost  to  assist  us.  The  ofii- 
cers  had  with  unwearied  exertion,  coolness  and  persever- 
ing activity  done  all  that  men  could  do.  The  ship's 
crew  worked  like  horses  and  behaved  like  men;  but 
all  xi^uld  not  do.  About  three  liours  time  had  changed 
one  of  the  best  ships  that  ever  swam  to  a  cr  iipletc  vol- 
cano, and  east  twenty-three  persons  adrilt  (m  the  open 
ocean. 

mi'**  The  cabin  passengers  were  admiral  Sir  Isaac  Coflin 
and  servant.  Dr.  WiUiam  Boag,  and  his  sister  Miss  An- 
sella  Boag,  Mr.  Neil  JUcNeil,  and  Mr.  Samuel  S.  Osgood. 
It  was  then  rainiig,  and  every  person  was  drenched 
through  with  water;  in  this  situation  the  constitution 
of  Miss  Boag,  the  only  lady-passenger,  soon  gave  way. 
This  amiable  young  lady's  firmness  of  conduct  at  the 
first  alarm  of  ^e,  and  during  the  \(^hole  scene,  is  worthy 
of  the  highest  praise.    Tc  the  divine  will  of  lier  God 


LOSS  or  TUB  WHAUI  HUT  MMX. 


TBUl 


abe  submitted  without  a muraiur, and  «t  ll/i^fiiQfik  oa 
Wednesday)  she  died  in  the  ams  of  iier  brother,  in  tfio 
boat,  thanking  bin  in  the  most  aiectionato  manner  tor 
his  kindness,  giTing  her  blessing  to  us  al!*  jGn  the  loir 
lowing  day,  sbevas  buried  with  the  chMjceh«Brrice,ouv 
situation  not  admitting  of  the  ccrpse  being  ittnt  longer 
in  the  boat  We  reoiaiued  in  the  boats  near  Km  ifire  of 
the  wreck  two  days,  and  iat  Ihree  o'clock  P.  Af.  on 
Thursday,  ^  ere  taken  on  hoaid  .the  biig  Idas,  ;of  liy«er- 
pool,  N.  S.  frem  Demarara,  bound  to  Ualifax,.oaptain 
Joseph  Bamaby,.who  with  his  .o0cers  .and  f  raw  Seated 
us  with  eiFery  kindness  and  jittentioa.  We  jounained 
on  board  the  brig  two  days,  when,  Bundi^  morning. 
May  30th,  falling  in  with  the  brig  CamUla,  .captain  Bo- 
bert  B.  Edes,  be  was  good  enough  to  off«r  us  a  passage 
to  Bostoa,  and  received  us  on  board  his  yessel" 

Admiral  Sir  Isaac  Oo^n,  after  landing  from  the  brig 
Camilla,  authorized  his  agent  to  present  captain  Mackay 
with  a  check  for  five  hundred  dollars ;  and  subsequently 
sent  him  an  elegant  gold  watch,  to  replace  one  which  he 
hadlitttby  thedeaUHfition  o£^e  ship. . 


-mmv^  LOSS  OS  TiH£  Wfi^LE  mX2  ESSEX. 


ii-^ 


.**t  i-*  icr  .-  *.^-«-f -■ 


This  vessel  sailed  from  Nantucket  on  a  whaling  voy- 
age, commanded  by  captain  Pollard.  On  the  13th  of 
November,  1820,  they  were  among  the  whales,  and  1^ 
three  boats  were  lowered  down.  They  succeeded  in 
capturing  a  young  whale,  but  the  mate's  boat  got  stove, 
and  returned  to  the  ship  to  be  repaired.  Shortly  after,  a 
whale  of  the  largest  class,  probably  the  dam  of  the  one 
they  had  just  taken,  struck  the  ship,  knocked  part  of  thf 
false  keel  off,  just  abreast  of  the  mAm  channels.  I 

The  animal  then  cemained  iox  some  time  alongside, 
endeavoring  to  dasp  the  lAiip  within  her  jaws,  but 
could  not  accompli^  it.  She  then  turned,  went  round 
the  stern,  and  came  up  on  the  other  side ;  and  went 
away  ahead  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile.     Then  suddenly 


, 


'# 


BIMAB1.\BLI   UIIPWIIOES; 


tvming,  the  oame  at  the  ■hi«>  with  tremendous  reloeity, 
iMftd  on.  The  vestel  wh  S--ng  at  the  rate  of  five  knoti, 
but  luoh  waa  the  force  with  which  the  itruck  the  ahip^ 
which  was  under  the  cat-head,  that  the  Teasel  had  stem- 
way,  at  the  rate  of  three  or  four  knots.  The  conse- 
quence was,  that  the  sea  rushed  into  the  cabin  windows, 
every  man  on  deck  was  knocked  down,  and,  worse  than 
all,  the  bows  were  completely  stove  in.  In  a  few  mk- 
QUtes,  the  vessel  filled  and  went  on  her  beam  ends,  xil' 
i  At  this  unhappy  juncture,  the  captain  .ind  second 
mate  wefe  both  fast  to  a  whale ;  but  on  beholding  the 
awful  catastrophe  that  had  taken  place, >  immediately  cut 
firom  the  fish  and  made  for  the  ship.  As  soon  as  the 
captain  got  on  board,  he  gave  orders  for  cutting  away 
the  masts,  which  was  accordingly  done,  and  the  vessel 
righted ; — the  upper  deck  was  then  scuttled,  and  some 
water  and  bread  were  procured  for  the  two  boats,  iu 
which  they  were  compelled  to  remain,  as  all  thoughts  of 
saving  the  ship  were  given  up.  In  expectation  of  falling 
in  with  some  vessel,  Uiey  remained  b  /  the  wreck,  mak- 
ing sails,  &«.,  but  were  finally  compelled  to  abandon  it, 
and  stood  away  to  the  southward,  in  hopes^  of  getting 
the  variable  winds,  and  experiencing  fine  weather ;  but 
the  wind  being  constantly  from  the  east  and  south-east, 
they  made  much  lee-way  and  were  prevented  from 
keeping  to  the  southward.  They  continued  beating 
about  in  tliis  way  for  thirty  days,  when  they  made  an 
island^  which  they  took  for  Ducie's  island,  at  which 
place  the  boats  remained  one  week;  but  the  island 
afifording  hardly  any  nourishment,  and  in  fact,  exhibit-> 
ing  nothing  but  sterility,  they  resolved  on  venturing 
for  the  coast ;  leaving  behind  them  thi^  men  who  pre- 
ferred remaining  there,  rather  than  to  venture  across  th^ 
ocean  in  an  open  boat. 

After  a  series  of  disasters,  a  part  of  the  crew  finally 
reached  Valparaiso.    Captain  Downes,  of  the  U.  S.  fri  • 
Ig^te  Macedonian,  on  becoming  acquainted  with  Uie  par*rj 
ticulars,  resolved  to  rescue  the  three  unfortunate  meui' 
who  were  left  behind  on  the  island.    Accordingly  hei 
fittf  i  out  a  stthooner,  at  an  expense  of  a  lliousand  ^Uars^*^ 


L08I  or  THI  WHALI  tHir  BMIX. 


R 


and  lept  her  in  search  for  them.  Rhe  was  out,  however, 
but  one  month,  and  returned  dismasted.  The  ship  Sur^  i  > 
rey,  captain  Raine,  lying  at  Valparaiso,  was  on  the  evt 
of  sailing  for  New  Holland,  and  as  Ducie's  island  was 
not  far  from  her  track,  captain  Downes  ofiered  her  com-  ^ 
mander  three  hundred  dollars,  to  call  there  and  take  off 
the  men. 

(^n  Thursday,  the  5th  of  April,  captain  Raine,  otmhi"  * 
denng  himself  within  a  short  oistanee  of  Ducie's  island, 
which  is  laid  down  in  Norie's  epitome  to  be  in  lat.  84 
degrees  40  minutes  S.  and  long.  124  des.  17  minutes  W., 
kept  a  good  look  out.  About  2,  P.  M.,  land  was  per* 
cetved,  which  turned  out  to  be  an  island  in  lat.  84  degi 
06  minutes.  As  the  Tessel  nearod  the  land,  they  diffr  ^ 
charged  a  gun,  and  shortly  after,  the  three  poc^'  men 
were  seen  to  issue  from  tne  woods.    The  boats  wer 

tesently  lowered,  captain  Raine  taking  one  himself. 

in  approaching  tho  shore,  it  was  found  not  only  danger^ 
ous,  out  utterly  impracticable  to  land  ;  of  whicn  circum- 
stance they  were  informed,  in  weak  and  tremulous 
voices,  by  the  almost  starved  and  nearly  worn  out  crea* 
tures  themselves,  who  could  scarcely,  from  the  misers»» 
ble  plight  they  were  in,  articulate  a  syllable.  One  poor 
fellow  summoned  up  courage  enough  to  plunge  into  the 
waves,  and  with  great  dimculty  reached  the  boat :  h$ 
(laid,  one  of  the  others  only  could  sv/im.  '^"^  ^^^ 

«  After  warily  backing  the  boat  as  near  the  rocks  as 
possible,  amidst  a  iieavy  surf,  the  other  two  men  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  on  board,  much  bruised  and  lacerated 
by  the  repeated  falls ;  which  object  was  no  soontr  effect- 
ed, when  each  devoutly  expressed  his  gratitud<6  to  that 
benign  Being  who  had  so  wonderfully  preserved  them 
from  sharing  in  the  destruction  to  which  most  of  iireir 
unhappy  shipmates  had  fallen  victims.  They  had  been 
on  the  island  four  months,  living  on  wild  berries,  resem- 
bling a  cherry,  sometimes  killing  a  sea-gull  by  throwing 
stones,  and  no  fresh  water  but  when  it  rained,  whicn 
was  very  seldom.  On  the  island  they  discovered  tho 
name  of  the  ship  Elisabeth,  oi  London,  carved  on  a  tree^ 
and  a  cavoi  with  eight  human  skeletons,  lying  togethcri 
28 


■'■^^ 


#i»^,»«p  nmiw^  t^-Mmi 


JiOBS  OF  THE  ISABELLA,  OFF  HASTINGS, 
U»  ■  ENGLAND.  ^nh'tmn 

Tbb  details  below  were  furnished  by  one  of  the  pas- 
■engers,  in  « letter  to  a  firiend,  dated 

EIastbournb,  March  15,  1838.  ' 
^  This  wreck  is  still  visible ;  she  was  a  fine  ship  of  340 
Icms,  and  offers  an  awful  evidence  of  the  power  of  nature 
over  the  noblest  works  of  art.  My  heart  still  sickens 
with  dismay  at  the  recollection  of  the  dreadful  trials  I 
have  passed  through.  I  have  not  before  had  health  and 
strength  enough  to  give  you  aa  outline  of  the  particu- 
lars, and,  even  now,  I  tremble  as  they  pass'in  review  bor 
fore  me. 

>  All  our  valuable  furniture,  plate,  books,  manuscripts, 
outfit  and  necessaries  had  been  put  on  board  the  Isabel- 
la in  the  docks,  when  she  dropped  down  to  Gravesend, 
where  \  joined  her  on  the  evening  of  Saturday  the  16th 
of  February,  with  my  wife  and  three  children,  a  girl 
of  eighteen  months,  and  two  boys  of  four  and  six  years. 
We:  were  opposed  by  contrary  winds,  and  put  our  pilot 
on  shore  on  Monday  evening.  On  Tuesday,  the  wind 
freshened  uito  a  gale ;  and  the  dreadful  enervating  sick' 
ness  usually  attending  these  scenes^  dispossesrod  my 
wife  and  myself  of  all  energy  and  strength.  The  wind 
was  noir  directly  against  us,  and  every  hour  increasing 
its  fearful  power ;  but  our  captain,  full  of  intrepidity 
and  coo^dflBoe,  determined  to  proceed,  although  he  left 
bdiind  a  fleet  of  perhaps  an  hundred  sail.  As  night 
closed^  the  tempest  raged  yet  more  fearfully.  Our  gal- 
lant ship  was  but  as  a  feather  on  the  wav0'«euyface, 
and  all  was  fearfully  dark  as  any  night  in  the  black 
eatal^ue  ortempests ;  the  wisul  right  ahead ;  there  was 
equal  peril  now  in  adwieing  or  receding ;  the  captain, 
Uowevor,  gaTe  his  orders  with  as  mu^  precisiimas  if  he 
wess  oEhihitiBg  in  A^tate  pageant    The  loud  voiee  of 


nOBLLA. 


tlM  f  Making-tminpot  was  the  only  sound  that  eoakl  \m 
heara  amid  the  wild  roar  of  contending  elenMUits.  Bm 
tween  tlnee  and  four  o'clock,  our  captain  entered  the 
cabin :  be  tpoke  little.  I  saw  the  distressed  workings  of 
his  mkid,  and  one  or  two  questions  constituted  ail  the 
interruptions  I  offered.  He  took  brandy  and  water,  threw 
off  his  saturated  dress,  and  having  sat  a  Uttle  in  dry 
clothes,  retired. 

From  this  time,  the  ship  seemed  to  me  to  labor  and 
strain  more  than  before,  siid  the  hurricane  to  dhre  and 
lay  down  the  ship  lower  on  her  side;  but  as  the  captain 
was  taking  rest,  J  had  fancied  more  security,  and  had 
lain  myself  on  the  floor  of  the  cabin  in  the  hope  of  get- 
ting also  some  repose.  I  had  been  Ijring  down  1  suppose 
thirty  minutes,  when  I  thought  I  heard  or  felt  the  keel  of 
the  ship  drag.  I  had  been,  to  this  time,  sick  to  death.  I 
was  exhausted  and  listless,  almost  lifeless,  .when  the 
dreadful  suspicion  and  announcement  of  "  shore,"  alann-> 
ed  me ;  I  was  ill  no  more.  I  jumped  up,  and  was  nuh- 
ing  through  the  cabin  to  mention  my  fears,  when  the  ship 
beat  twice  on  a  rock,  and  I  heard  the  cry  of  ''  The  ship 
has  struck !"  I  called  the  captain.  The  diceadful  shocK 
and  loud  cries  of  alarm,  combmed  to  Rummon  all  or  Jeck, 
excepting  the  ladies  and  the  poor  children,  who  hud»been 
roused,  at  last,  by  the  general  crash,  and  these  I  would 
not  allow  to  leave  their  berths  lest  they  might  interrupt 
the  exertions  making  above.  Here,  indeed,  was  redou- 
bled energy.  The  rudder  was  unshipped  when  wo  first 
struck,  and  was  abandoned.  Now  was  the  loud  ory  for 
the  speaking-trumpet — now  for  the  axes,  whieh  tor  a 
time  could  not  be  found.  I  asked  if  there  were  no  guns 
to  fire  signals  of  distress  ?  No  guns.  No  rockets  to  let 
off  to  acquaint  the  coast-guard  with  our  condition?  'No 
rockets.  It  was  manifest  our  captain  had  been,  as  Napo^ 
leon  said  of  Massena,  a  spoiled  child  of  fortune !  Always 
happy  and  successful  in  his  adventures,  his  voyages  m- 
servedly  fortunate,  had  superseded  all  contemplation  of 
disaster.  Every  effort  was  now  made,  by  manoBuvring 
the  sails,  to  force  the  ship  once  more  to  sea,  and  made  in 
^aiiH-we  were  constraiioed  to  wait  until  dayli^it  -eiia- 
^'•c»£ij8fi'?J«"Oft  v/ua  I  .K^'/lMii  .woo   bfifi  ;  ^4;  b'*[>i«fxl  hira 


I   I 


»\ 


BIMAUAILK  MIIPWRIOEt. 


% 


bled  na  to  appreciate  our  real  nituation,  and  procuie  foi 
WL  from  the  shore,  the  necessary  assistance.  '  «>  m*\'>n 
It  is  difficult  to  judge  of  distance  on  water,  but  I  beHere 
we  lay  near  I  half  a  mile  from  the  beach.  Every  suc- 
ceeding wave  raised  the  ship  several  feet,  and  subsiding, 
we  beat  with  tremendous  violence  on  the  rock.  An  im- 
mense quantity  of  bricks  had  been  shipped  in  lieu  of  bal- 
last ;  between  these  and  the  rock,  the  snip's  bottom  might 
represent  the  metal  works  between  the  anvil  and  the 
hammer,  and  strange  it  would  have  been  had  it  not  se- 
verely suffered.  Every  wave  wa8  a  fearful  motmtain, 
while  the  hurricane  momentarily  threatened  to  shiver 
us  into  atoms.  Such  a  storm  has  not  been  felt  on  these 
shores  during  the  last  fifty  years.  As  the  ungovemed 
state  of  the  rudder  was  now  breaking  up  all  within  its 
range,  the  binnacles  were  removed  below  for  security, 
and  the  rudder  lashed  to  the  boom ;  but  the  cords  were 
soon  rent  asunder  like  threads.  After  lying  in  this  situa- 
tion nearly  two  hours,  sometimes  fancying  we  saw  boats 
approaching  to  our  assistance,  sometimes  that  we  saw 
lights  as  signals,  the  dawn  at  length  assured  us  we  were 
dsscried  from  the  shore,  where  we  saw  a  general  activity 
corresponding  to  the  peril  of  our  unhappy  condition.  Not 
a  boat  coulcL  however,  venture  to  put  out  through  the 
frightful  surf,  and  I  own  1  felt  little  hopes  of  relief  while 
the  elements  continued  their  frightful  ravages.  The 
shore  was  now  lined  with  spectators,  but  their  sympathy 
could  avail  us  nothing.  While  this  was  our  condition 
without,  within  the  ship  all  was  devastation.  At  each 
new  concussion  something  was  strained  and  gave  way. 
Bedsteads,  lamps,  tables  and  trunks  were  hurled  from 
side  to  side  with  frightful  noise,  which^fnade  the  females 
belfeve,  in  spite  of  our  assurances,  the  ship  was  breaking 
up.  But  now  beamed  suddenly  forth  in  our  extremity, 
the  dawn  of  our  deliverance.  We  bad  watched  a  team 
laboring  along  the  bdach  conveying  to  windward  a  boat. 
It  was  launched,  and,  in  the  same  moment,  manned.  It 
was  the  God-like  life-boat,  equipped  with  the  most  intre- 
pid crew  that  ever  deserved  their  country's  gratitude.  In 
half  an  hour  of  unequalled  struggles  they  were  alongside, 
and  boarded  us ;  and  now,  indeed,  I  saw  countenances 


"  iMc 


IMS  OP  irai  ftAHLliA.  Hi 

iHiora  tho  glad  gleam  of  joy  encharored  to  poMtMIt 
through  a  maas  of  suffering  and  despair ;  but  we  had  ' 
scaicely  interchanged  congratulation  u,  when  I  was  told 
the  boat  had  left  the  ship.  I  could  not  believD  it.  I  rau 
aloft  and  found  it  true.  I  felt  I  had  now  a.duty  to  per- 
form to  my  family,  and  I  asked  the  captain,  if  the  boat 
were  dismissed,  what  could  be  his  plan  1  I  represented 
that  as  our  rudder  was  useless,  he  could  have  no  com- 
mand of  the  ship -if  she  floated  with  the  coming  flood; 
and  if  her  bottom  was  pierced,  of  which  there  could  bt 
no  doubt,  we  must  expect  that  if  she  dipped  into  deep 
water,  she  would  fill  and  go  down,  and  all  would  inevi<* 
lably  perish — that  it  would  be  impossible,  in  her  present 
'^rippled  state,  to  work  her  into  any  port,  and  I  submit**  ^, 
ted,  therefore,  that  our  safety  should  be  c<msulted  above 
all  things.  Our  captain  firmly  answered,  our  safety  was 
his  principal  duty  and  first  care ;  that  I  might  rely  on  hit 
word,  that  he  would  not  hazard  our  lives ;  and  that  if  th« 
ship  was  not  in  a  condition  to  leave  the  shore,  he  would 
not  attempt  it.  I  own  I  returned  to  my  family  with  a 
heavy  heart  to  announce  the  fearful  experiment. 

The  flood-tide  was  rolling  in,  and  the  trumpet  of  our 
viffilant  captain  was  again  m  full  activity.  After  many 
mighty  workings,  an  awful  blast  drove  us  over  the  reef^ 
and  hurried  us  to  sea.  Hope  Learned  again,  but  it  waa 
found  that  the  ship  had  made  five  feet  of  water  in  ten 
minutes.  The  signal  of  distress  was  hoisted,  and  eve«^ 
possible  effcHTt  made  to  put  the  ship's  head  to  the  shorr , 
but  without  the  assistance  of  her  rudder,  she  was  wholly 
unmanageable,  and  very  soon  became  water-logged.  I 
now  caught  the  captain's  eye;  he  motioned  me,  and  gave 
the  dreadful  intelligence  that  the  ship  was  sinking,  and 
I  must  prepare  my  wife  and  children  for  any  event !  I 
asked  how  long  it  might  be  before  she  would  go  down  ? 
He  said,  "  Some  time  yet."  Without  making  any  com- 
munication, I  conveyed  my  family  on  deck,  and  watched 
the  progress  of  the  ship  visibly  made  in  sinking.  Effertu  -v 
were  again  made  to  put  the  ship  about,  but  they  were 
fruitless. 

Happily  for  our  safety,  the  life-boat,  better  aequaiuted 
28* 


m 


MUUBKABLI  fHIPWRIOKS. 


wMl  the  distresnmfif  features  of  disaster,  had  kept  horer- 
ing  around;  I  had  grieved  at  its  dismissal,  but  now  sud* 
denly  heard  it  hailing  the  captain  to  let  go  the  remaining 
anchor.  After  drawing  a  little,  it  held  on,  and  threw 
her  atom  round;  but  Uie  ship  was  water*logged,  and 
made  little  progress.  She  was  now  so  low  tiiat  every 
wave  rolled  in  (me  side  and  discharged  itself  on  the  other. 
We  had  thrown  out  a  line  to  the  boat,  but  it  had  quickly 
snapped,  and  we  threw  others,  in  the  hope  of  keeping 
^ein  at  a  i^ort  distance.  As  it  appeared  we  must  in  a 
few  seconds  go  down,  I  was  prejparing-cords  for  the  safe« 
ty  of  my  family,  when  a  squall,  a  hundred  times  more 
frightful  than  any  that  had  yet  assailed  us,  gave  hopes, 
and  the  oreW  cri^  out,  "  Now-^now  the  masts  must  go." 
But  still  they  stood,  to  our  great  danger  and  annoyance. 
The  ship  had^  however,  felt  the  impulse  received  from 
tlie  last  blast,  and  been  impelled  forward ; — and  now  a 
shock  succeeded  whidi  gave  the  glad,  auspiciods  tidings 
of  i^ore.  nnio  men  clasped  their  hands,  and  looked  to- 
wards Heaven  with  emotions  of  gratitude.  I'he  last 
nearly  overwhelming  gale  had  lifted  us  forward,  and 
provMl  our  deliverance ;  and  now  the  exertions  of  the 
crew  of  the  boat  were  mcreased  tenfold,  and  they  were 
quickly  under  our  stern.  Our  intrepid  captain,  lashing 
himself  for  security,  jumped  over  the  ship's  side,  and. 
though  overwhelmed  by  every  wave,  called  aloud  for  the 
diiidren  first.  I  had  taken  them  below^  lest  the  fall  of 
the  masts  should  injure  them.  I  flew  down,  and  in  an 
instant  my  eldest  son  was  in  the  arms  of  the  captain. — 
The  life^boat  was  now  riding  on  the  brink  of  the  wave, 
and  now  was  lost  in  the  abyss ;  but  as  she  was  descend- 
ing my  s<»t  was  caught  as  Uie  captain  loosed  his  arm,  by 
a  dozen  eager  arms  raised  for  his  safety.  The  second 
boy  met  with  more  facility,  and  the  infant  was  thrown 
and  caught,  when  the  whole  crew,  with  generous  sym- 
pathy, cried  out,  "  Now  the  mother."  The  mother  was 
soon  with  her  children,  and  seemed  to  us  protected  by 
these  our  worldly  saviors  from  destruction.  The  other 
females  were  then  handed  down,  with  a  youth  of  fourte^i, 
aad  I  B^i  feUowed,  in  agonising  anxiety  to  share  with 


'XV 


LOSS  OF  TJBB  fitSAM-BOAT  BtMMliT  OASTLE. 


over* 


thoisel^  felt  dearer  to  me  than  life,  the  yet  remanuag 

perili^.''      -^^^if^mi  m  mai'-    y'v'ii>  imi  ImmI  mU  :'f,i^:-H\ 

Lifted  sometimes  mountains  iiigh,  sometimes  bidden 
from  all  view  in  the  depths  into  Which  we  descended,  we 
at  last  reached  the  shore.  The  people  upon  the  beach 
rushed  into  the  surf  to  receive  us,  and  braved  its  perils 
for  our  security.  The  boat  was  «oon  lighted,  and  a  cart 
stood  ready  to  convey  us  to  an  adjoining  house,  where  dry 
clothing  was  soon  exchanged  for  garments  long  saturated 
with  brine.  The  captain  and  crew  were  left  on  the 
wreck  with  one  passenger,  and  two  hours  elapsed  before 
the  boat  could  succeed  in  extricating  these  from  the  drja- 
gers  assailing  them.  For  a  considerable  period,  the  sea 
had  been  covered  with  floating  packages,  carried  by  the 
storm  and  tide  many  miles  along  the  beach,  but  at  night* 
fall,  began  the  active  work  of  plunder,  and  that  which 
had  resisted  other  violence  was  soon  conveyed  away  from 
observation. 

mti-  i¥^iM  ^»4t>- ^«Hi«  ^!mU         hifH  diJMi'^k^.^m  .mis)^^' 


,'S!'!t^%i,^ft%'J^- 


LOSS  OF  THE  ROTHSAY  CASTLE  STEAMER. 


The  Both*say  Castle  was  a  steara-pftcket  which  fon- 
meriy  traded  on  the  Clyde.  She  belonged  to  the  line  of 
steamers  which  sailed  from  Liverpool  to  Beaumaris  and 
Bangor,  and  was  furnished  with  one  engine  only.  She 
was  commanded  by  Lieut.  Atkjnson.  At  ten  o'clock,  on 
the  —  of  August,  1831,  the  vessel  was  appointed  to  sail 
fiom  the  usual  place,  George's  Pierhead,  but  a  cwnal 


\ 


.a4TJ* 


BUMIKABLB  SHIPWBECKSr 


T^)  «»<.».  r 


iiAmj  took  place  in  starting,  and  it  was  eleven  o'clock 
before  she  had  got  every  thing  in  readiness.  Whilst 
taking  passengers  <m  board,  a  carriaee  arrived  at  the 
Pierheaa  for  embarkation.  It  belonged  to  M.  W.  Foster. 
Esq^  of  Regent's  Park,  London,  who,  with  his  wife  and 
servant,  were  conveyed  in  it  to  the  packet,  and  took  their 
passage  at  the  same  time.  They  were  all  subse(^iiently 
drowned,  a  little  dog  which  accompanied  them  bemg  the 
only  survivor  of  this  unfortunate  grpup*  tVhen  the 
steamer  left  the  Pierhead,  her  deck  waft  thronged  with 
passengers.  The  captain,  crew,  musicians,  ice.  amount- 
ed to  fifteen,  in  addition  to  whom,  it  was  supposed  by  per- 
sons who  saw  the  vessel  sail,  that  one  hundred  and  ten 
or  one  hundred  and  twenty  souls  were  on  board.  The 
majority  of  the  passengers  consisted  of  holiday  and  fa- 
mily parties,  chiefly  from  country  places ;  and  m  one  of 
these  companies,  who  came  on  a  journey  of  pleasure  from 
Bury,  the  hand  of  death  committed  a  merciless  devasta- 
tion. It  consisted  of  twenty-six  persons ;  in  the  morning, 
joyous  with  health  and  hilarity,  they  set  out  upon  the 
waves,  and  when  the  sh^es  of  that  evening  approached, 
every  soul  but  two  saw  his  last  of  suns  go  down. 

The  weather  was  not  particuiafly  boisterous  at  the 
time  she  sailed.  A  severe  storm,  however,  had  ragc|4  in 
the  morning,  and  must  have  agitated  the  water  on;  the 
Banks  more  than  usual.  The  wind,  too^  hi^  strongly 
from  the  north-west,  and  the  vessel  had  to  contend  with 
the  tide,  which  beg^  to  flow  soon  after  she  pasied  the 
rock^  When  the  steamer  arrived  off  the  floating-light, 
which  is  stationed  about  ^^teen  miles  from  Liverpool, 
the  roughness  of  the  sea  alarmed  many  of  the  passengers. 
One  of  the  survivors  stated,  that  Mr.  Tarry,  of  Bury, 
who,  with  his  family,  consisting  of  himself,  his  wife,  their 
fii^e  children  and  servant,  was  on  board,  being,  in  com- 
mon with  others,  greatly  alarmed  for  his  own  safety  and 
the  safety  of  those  dear  to  him,  went  down  to  the  cabin, 
where  the  captain  was  at  dinner,  and  requested  him  ts 
put  back.  His  reply  was,  "  I  think  there  is  a  great  fi^^l 
of  fear  on  board,  and  very  little  danger.  If  we  wre  u: 
turnback  with  passengers,  it  would  never  do-— wesLotud 


(( 


J^yirrifjrr  ;'>;rT*R'^iq'^>?>7"^':f.-y^  r;vHv) 


T*!?6  ■H^H1!p".pT'^:",T 


LOSS  OF  TBB  STBAIf>BOAT  BOT^T  CASTLE. 


Have  ho  profit."  To  another  gentleman  who  ni^ed  hhfi  i 
to  put  back,  he  is  reported  to  have  said  very  angrily, 
"  I'm  not  one  of  those  that  turn  back.''  He  remained 
in  the  cabin  two  whole  hours,  and  peremptorily  refused 
to  comply  with  the  repeated  requests  rnadf^  to  him  by 
the  more  timid  of  his  passengers,  to  return  to  Liverpool; 
observing  that  if  they  knew  him,  they  would  not  make 
the  request  Before  dinner,  his  behavior  had  been  unex- 
ceptionable ;  but  after  he  had  dined,  a  very  striking  dif* 
ference  was  observed  in  his  conduct.  He  became  vio- 
lent in  his  manner,  and  abusive  in  his  language  to  the 
men.  When  anxiously  questioned  by  the  passengers,  as 
to  the  progress  the  vessel  was  making,  and  the  time  at 
wliich  she  was  likely  to  reach  her  destination,  he  return*  i^ 
ed  trifling,  and  frequently  very  contradictory  answers. 
During  the  early  part  of  the  voyage,  he  had  spoken  con^  < 
fidently  of  being  able  to  reach  Beaumaris  by  seven  o'* 
clock;  but  the  evening  wore  away,  night  came  on,  and 
the  vessel  was  still  a  considerable  distance  from  the  ter^* 
mination  of _  her  voyage.  It  was  near  twelve  o'clock, 
when  they  arrived  at  the  mouth  of  the  Menai  strait; 
which  is  about  five  miles  from  Beaumaris.  The  tide; 
which  had  been  running  out  of  the  strait,  and  which  hadj 
consequently,  for  some  time  previous  retarded  the  steam-* 
er's  progress  towards  her  destination,  was  just  on  the 
turn.  The  vessel,  according  to  the  statement  of  two  of 
the  seamen  and  one  ot  the  firemen  saved,  had  got  round 
the  buoy  on  the  north  end  of  the  Dutchman's  bank,  and 
had  proceeded  up  the  river  as  far  as  the  tower  on  Pnfliti 
island;  when  suddenly^ the  steam  got  so  low  that  the 
engine  would  not  keep  her  on  her  proper  course.  Wheil 
asked  why  there  was  not  steam  on,  the  fireman  iaid^ 
that  a  deal  of  water  had  been  finding  its  way  intollil 
vessel  all  day,  and  that  sometime  before  she  got  into  tHi  "'- 
strait,  the  bilge^pumps  were  choked.  The  water  in  the 
hold  then  overflowed  the  coals ;  so  that,  in  renewing  ttm 
fires,  a  deal  of  water  went  in  with  the  coals,  and  made  it 
impossible  to  keep  the  steam  up.  It  was  the  duty  of  the 
fireman  to  give  notice  of  this  occurrence ;  bat  he  seema 
not  to  have  mentioned  it  to  the  captain.  '  The  vessel, 


.'if jTt'       B1MIKKABI&  SHIPWRXCSai  ir.  •'.>>CJ 


wbich  hful  evidently  c€»ne  iair  into  the  channel,  though 
there  was  no  light  on  the  coast  to  guide  her,  now  drift- 
ed with  the  ebb-tide  and  norrh-^west  wind,  towards  the 
Dutchman's  haak,-on  the  north  point  of  which  she 
9tmck,  her  bows  stieking  fast  in  the  sand.  Lieut.  Atkin- 
non  inunediaitely  ordered  the  man  at  the  helm  to  put  the 
helm  a^starboard.  The  man  refused  to  do  so ;  but  pat 
it  to  port  The  mate  peroeiying  this,  ran  aft,  took  the 
helm  from  the  man,  and  put  it  to  starboard  again.  In 
the  meantime^  the  oaptuin  and  some  of  the  passengers 
got  the  jib  up.  No  doubt  he  did  this  intending  to  wear 
lier  round  and  bring' her  head  to  the  north v/ard ;  but.  in 
the  opinion  of  nautical  men,  it  could  ndt  make  the  least 
difference  which  way  her  head  was  turned,  es  she  was 
on  a  lee  shore,  and  there  was  no  steam  to  work  her  off* 
The  captain  aho  ordered  the  passengers  first  to  run  aft^ 
iti  the  hope,  by  removing  the  jpressurc  from  the  vessel's 
stem,  to  make  her  float :  this  failing  to  produce  the  de- 
sired effect,  he  then  ordered  them  to  run  forward.  All 
the  exertions  of  the  captain,  the  crciw  and  passengers 
united,  were  unavailing.  The  ill-fated  vessel  stuck  still 
faster  in  the  sands,  and  all  gave  themselves  up  for  lost. 
The  terror  of  the  passengers  became  excessive.  Fteveral 
of  ^  them  urged  the  captain  to  hoist  Mghts,  and  make 
other  signals  of  distress ;  but  he  positively  refused  to  do 
so,  assuring  the  passengers  that  there  was  no  danger, 
and  telling  them  several  times,  that  the  packet  was  afloat 
and  doing  well,  and  on  her  way ;  when  the  passengers 
knew  perfectly  well  that  she  was  sticking  fast  in  the 
sand,  and  her  cabins  rapidly  filling  with  water.  Doubt- 
less the  unfortunate  man  wbb  perfectly  aware  of  the  im- 
jtmr  ■:<'  of  the  danger;  but  we  may  charitably  suppose 
tlutt  .  r  iield  such  language  for  the  purpose  of  preventing 
alarm  which  might  be  fatal.  The  alarm-bell  was  now 
r^ii^i<ti  so  much  viol^see  that  the  clapper  broke,  and 
mn^  of  tjbe  passengers  continued  to  strike  it  for  some 
ti'iiA )  with  a  stone.  The  oell  was  heard,  it  is  said,  at 
Beaumaris,  but,  as  there  was  no  light  hoisted  on  the 
mast  of  the  steamer,  (a  fatal  neglect!)  Ui«se  who  heard 
the  signal  were,  of  oousse,  ignorant  whence  it  proceeded. 


LOSS  OF  TiiS  8T|hAM-^BOAT  BATHSAY  CASTLE. 


The  weather,  at  this  awful  moment,  was  boisterous,  but 
perfectly  clear.  The  moon,  though  slightly  overcast^ 
threw  considerable  light  on  the  surrounding  objects.  But 
i^  strong  bree^  blew  from  the  north- weat,  the  tide  began 
to  set  in  with  great  strength,  and  a  heavy  ^ea  beat  over 
the  bank  on  whicia  t^e  ateam^packet  was  now  fixnily  ai^ 
immovably  fixed. 

We  cannot  desciibe  the  scene  which  followed.  Cer- 
tain death  seen^ed  now  to  present  itself  tol^Uon  board, 
and  the  most  affecting  scenes  were  exhibited.  The  fe- 
males, in  particular,  uttered  the  most  piercimg  shrieks ; 
some  locked  themselves  in  each  othet's  arms,  while 
others,  losing  all  selfrcommand,  tore  off  their  eapi^  and 
bonnets,  in  the  wildness  of  despair.  A  jLiverpool  pilot, 
who  happeped  to  be  in  the  packet,  now  raised  his  voice 
and  exclaimed,  "It  is  all  over — we  are  all  lost !"  At 
these  words  there  was  a  universal  despairing  shriek.— ^ 
The  women  and  children  collected  in  a  knot  together, 
and  kept  embracing  each  other,  keeping  up,  all  the  time, 
the  most  dismal  lamentations.  When  tired  with  crying, 
they  lay  against  each  other,  with  their  heads  reclined, 
like  inanimate  bodies.  The  steward  of  the  vessel  and 
his  wifej  who  was  on  board,  lashed  themselves  to  the 
mast,  determined  to  spend  their  last  moment'?  in  eac^i 
other's  arms.  Several  husbands  and  wives  also  met 
their  fate  locked  in  each  other's  arms;,  whilst  parents 
clung  to  their  beloved  children,-^several  mothers,  it  is 
9»\d,  having  pterished  with  their  dear  little  ones  firmly 
clasped  in  their  arms.  A  party  of  the  passengers,  about 
fifteen  or  twenty,  lowered  the  boat  and  crowded  in^i^  it 
it  was  impossible  for  any  open  boat  to  live  in  such  a  sea^ 
even  though  not  overloaded,  and  she  immediately 
swamped  anc^  went  to  the  bottom,  with  aii  who  had 
made  ihis  last  hopeless  effort  for  self-preservation. 

For  some  time  the  vessel,  though  now  irrecoverably 
lost,  continued  to  resist  the  action  of  the  waves,  and  the 
despairing  souls  on  board  still  struggled  wMh  their  doom. 
But  hope  had  forever  fled ;  the  packet  was  beaten  and 
tossed  about  by  the  tumultuous  waters  with  a  violence 
which  threatened  to  dash  her  into  fragments  at  every 


iM 


.Jt.ItJ'.A' 


RBMAltKABLI  SIIIPW1IK0K9. 


i"  ;^i!',0J 


shock,  and  the  sea  now  made  a  continual  breach  ovefr 
her.  The  decks  w  ere  repeatedly  s  wept  by  the  boiling 
ocean,  and  each  billow  snatched  ite  victims  to  a  watery 
grave  The  unfortunate  captain  and  his  mate  Vf  re 
among  the  first  that  perished.  Aliout  thirty  or  forty 
frnweeoj^  were  standing  upon  the  poop  clinging  to  each 
other  m  hopeless  agony,  and  occasiotiially  utieiag  the 
most  piteou;^  e^iaculatioliS.  Whilst  trembling  ^us  u|>on 
the  bnnk  of'ti'ft'Struction,  and  expecting  finery  mcnieiu  to 
share  the  fair;  whi'wb  Ijad  aire,  dy  overtaken  so  many  of 
their  companwns  ia  mh'i^y,  the  poop  vt&s  discovered  to 
give  way;  another  w;  ;>  vo]l<*d  on  vnth  impetuous  ftiiy, 
and  the  hinder  part  oi  xhd  ?  okiesw  vessel,  with  all  who 
sought  safety  in  its  frail  t;'  yypcft.  was  burst  away  from 
its  shattered  coimJerpur*,  nnd  ab«  ut  forty  wretched  be- 
ings hurr^ad  <t!tiu  'gh  ihe  foaming  flood  into  an  eternal 


%  f*' 


*  Then  rose  ft-oua  sea  ioiky  the  irild  Hurewefi, 
Then  shi .  o^ed  the  timid  and  stood  still  the  brave.  * 


-rf?.. 


T^ose  who  retained  any  degree  of  sensibility  endea- 
vctjund  to  csitch  at  whatever  was  floating  within  their  reach, 
with  the  vain  hope  of  prolonging  their  lives,  though  it 
^as  cert  >  in  that  ?ife  could  only  lengthen  their  suflermgs. 
Many  g;ra4»j[)ed,  with  frantic  despair,  at  the  slightest  ob- 
ject'they  could  find,  but  were  either  too  weak  to  retain 
.  ithe^r  hold,  or  were  forced  to  relinquish  their  grasp  by  the 
r^igiijj/  of  the  sur^.    The  rudder  was  seized  by  oicht  of 
the  sinking  creatures  at  the  same  time,  and  some  of  them 
were*  ultimately  preserved.    The  number  of  those  who 
clun^  to  the  portion  of  the  wreck  which  remained  upon 
j^j  the  bank,  gradually  grew  thinner  and  thinner,  as  they 
f  Hunk  under  their  fatigues,  or  were  hurled  into  the  deep 
by  th<:  remorseless  waves.    At  length,  about  an  hour 
and  a  half  from  the  time  when  she  struck,  the  remnant 
of  Hie  Rothsay  Castle  disappeared  from,  the  bosom  of  the 
^>  ocean,  and  the  remainder  of  her  passengers  and  cre\ 
wei«  precib'tatcd  into  tlie  fc'^ming  abyss^ 


^'MMiiy  -S   i^rlS^'  tt^^iii^^- 


^Uii-  ^.»^U'-%d  JAiC'ti^ 


X^rt*)'  i'B   i)\mtil$i'i\i  <:''M    mfiy-d&ld^  <>4''^,i  44J:iiLdi 


T^; 


7--^*' r-jn,"  -if 


■A'  It  t*  v>i  '<  Jik.\a ji.4*i ***'i  * 


m- 


t,. 


•  if*,' 


/?14 


1^.01'.  JPE  BEIG  SALLT«. 


to 


:  i»>  '^kj^•^ 


i.i  .fi^   SiTi-JCi 


-il.v 


.IfK' 


ho  /e  on  her  beam-ends,  and  in  less  than  five  minutes  turn- 
ed keal  upwards.  ^  that  they  had  only  time  to  dit  away 
the  lanyards  of  her  main-mast.     There  were  on  board, 
Anthony  Tabry,  master;  Humphrey  Mars,  mate;  Jo- 
seph Sherver,  Samuel  Bess,  John  Burna,  mariners,  who 
were  drowned;  six  other  mariners,  viz.  Peter  Toy,  Da- 
niel Cultan,  John  Davis,  Alexander  Landerrv,   Peter 
Mayes,  and  William  Hammon,  having  got  hold  of  the 
top-mast,  which  floated  alongside,  tied  it  to  the  stem,  and 
supported  themselves  by  it,  till  about  five  o*clock  in  the 
evening,  when  the  cabin  boy  swam  to  the  hull  and  threw 
them  a  rope,  by  which  they  got  on  the  bottom  oi  the  ves- 
sel, where  they  were  still  in  a  dismal  plight ;  the  first 
wart  that  invaded  them  was  drink,  this  drove  away  all 
thought  of  meat.    The  main-mast,  with  all  the  rigging, 
the  lanyards  having  been  cut  away,  came  up  alongsic^, 
from  which  they  got  the  wreath,  (a  s<|uare  hoop  which 
binds  the  head  of  the  mast,)  with  which,  and  a  bolt  of 
a  foot  long,  they  went  to  work  on  her  bottom ;  in  the 
mean  time  keephi^  tiieir  mouths  moist,  as  well  as  they 
could,  by  chewing  the  stuff  of  her  bottom,  she  not  hav- 
ing any  barnacles,  being  lately  cleaned,  and  some  lead 
wh  Ich  was  on  her  bow,  and  drinking  their  own  water ; 
in  four  days  time  Peter  Toy  died,  raving  for  drink, 
whose  body  they  threw  off  the  vessel  the  next  day.    In 
this  manner  did  they  -'•orl^  for  six  days,  without  meat, 
drink,  or  sleep,  nor  d" ;   ig  ti   !ie  down  for  fear  of  £ediing 
off  the  ves!"?-! ;  th*^      :ih  day  they  ^^ot  a  hole  in  the  brig, 
where  they  ion^<i  8.  barrel  of  bottled  beer;  ihis  th«^ 
drank  very  greedily ;  they  soon  got  another  i  arcel.  when 
one  of  them  put  the  others  on  an  allowance.     The 
eleventh  lay  or  their  being  on  the  wreck,  ihey  got  abar- 
39  _ 


«:^^.ij^-  .  lu.'-- li^m<sx,i/iaie.\ 


''yry 


M  ! 


388 


REMARKABLK  SHIPWBK0K8. 


i 


rel  of  pork,  which  they  were  obliged  to  eat  raw.  As  to 
sleep,  as  soon  as  they  got  a  hole  through  the  vessel's 
bottom,  they  pulled  out  a  great  number  of  staves  and 
shingles,  and  made  a  platform  in  the  same  place,  but  so 
small  was  it,  that  when  they  wanted  to  turn,  they  were 
obliged  to  wait  till  the  sea  hoisted  the  vessel,  ana  when 
she  fell  BjOLm  with  the  sea,  they  were  almost  froze  to 
death.  Thus  did  these  poor  miserable  fellows  live  for 
thirteen  or  fourteen  days ;  after  they  got  the  pork,  they 
made  a  kind  of  net  with  a  hoop,  some  shingles,  ana 
ropes,  which  they  got  from  the  mast ;  this  they  let  into 
the  sea,  with  some  pork,  and  caught  a  few  small  fish, 
which,  with  two  or  three  mice  they  caught  on  board  the 
brig,,  afforded  them  several  most  dehcious  repasts,  raw 
as  they  were ;  this  lasted  but  a  few  days,  as  they  could 
not  catch  any  more ;  when  they  were  obliged  to  return 
to  their  pork,  which  was  become  quite  putrir!  by  the 
salt  water  getting  to  it.  To  their  great  joy,  on  the  1st 
of  September,  in  latitude  26,  15,  longitude  70,  10,  at 
four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  they  could  just  perceive  a 
vessel  to  windward  of  them,  which  seemed  to  stand  some 
time  for  them,  but  soon  put  about  and  stood  from  them  • 
it  was  then  they  despaired,  as  that  morning  they  had 
drank  the  last  bottle  of  their  beer,  and  that  one  was  all 
they  had ;  for  that  day  Ihey  worked  hard  to  get  at  the 
casks  of  water  in  the  hold,  but  they  were  so  far  from 
them,  that  they  could  not  have  got  at  them  in  a  long 
time.  About  sun  half  an  hour  high,  the  vessel  stood  for 
them,  and  came  so  near  that  they  perceived  a  piece  of 
canvass,  that  they  on  the  wreck  supported  on  a  piece  of 
board,  bore  down  for  it,  and  about  seven  or  eig^t  o'clock 
took  them  on  board ;  she  was  the  brig  Norwich,  captain 
Robert  Noyes.  Thus*  were  they  relieved  wh  ;n  death 
stared  them  in  the  face,  by  a  captain  who  used  them 
very  kindly,  gave  them  food  and  clothes,  as  thei/  own 
were  rotted  off  their  backs,  washed  their  sores,  and  gave 
them  plasters,  as  they  were  almost  raw  from  head  to 
foot  with  the  heat  of  the  sun  and  salt  water,  which,  in 
many  places  had  eaten  holes  in  ^hi^  ff^. 


il 


:~'J7 


m 


•mt' 


Wh'  :!iMK'An:iiiift 


to 
in 


■i^f  :i5o^^'&^41N.^'f '^  '     "''^  '  ■  '''^^#^-^-^'^''    ^' 


SUFFERINGS  OF  EPHAAIM  HOW.  k 


On  the  25th  of  August,  1676,  Mr.  Ephraim  How,  of 
New-Haven,  in  New-England,  with  his  two  eldest  sons; 
one  Mr.  Augur;  Caleb  Jones,  son  to  Mr.  William  Jdnes, 
one  of  the  magistjrates  of  New-Haven ;  and  a  boy ;  six 
persons  in  all,  set  sail  from  New-Haven  for  Boston,  in 
a  small  ketch,  of  about  seventeen  tons. 

Having  despatched  his  business  there,  he  sailed  for 
New-Haven  on  the  10th  of  September,  but  was  forced 
back  to  Boston  byt«contrary  winas.  Here  Mr.  How  was 
seized  with  a  violent  flux,  which  continued  nearly  a 
month ;  many  being  at  that  time  sick,  and  some  dying 
of  the  same. 

Being  in  some  degree  restored  to  health,  he  again  sail- 
ed fro^Ji  Boston,  October  10.  They  went  with  a  fair 
wind  as  far  as  cape  Cod ;  but  on  a  sudden,  the  vveather 
became  very  tempestuous,  so  that  they  could  not  pass 
the  cape,  but  were  driven  oflf  to  sea,  where  they  were 
in  great  danger,  experiencing  terrible  storms,  with  ou^• 
rageous  wind  and  seas. 

His  eldest  son  fell  sick  and  died  about  the  21st ;  soon 
after,  his  other  son  was  taken  ill  and  died  also.  This 
was  a  bitter  cup  to  the  poor  father,  for  these  youths  wera 
the  only  assistants  in  working  the  vessel.  Soon  ifter 
Caleb  Jones  died,  so  that  half  the  company  were  now 
no  more. 

Mr.  How  continued  in  a  very  sickly  and  weak  state, 
yet  was  necessitated  to  stand  at  the  helm  twenty-four 
and  thirty-six  hours  together.  During  this  time,  the  sea 
was  so  boisterous  as  frequently  to  break  over  the  vessel,  so 
that  if  he  had  not  ueen  lashed  fast  h3  must  have  been 
washed  overboard.  In  this  extremity,  he  was  at  a  loss 
in  his  own  thoughts  ;:  ther  he  shouia  persist  in  endea^ 
voring  to  make  foi*  >*  New-England  shore,  or  bea* 
awa;<'  f--^  the  soutliern  isIanJs.  Upon  his  proposing  the 
queswioi:  to  Mr.  Augur,  tbmy  determined,  according  to 
die  custom  of  some  in  those  times,  to  decide  this  difficult 


-^ 


3t 


■■*J." 


340 


REMARIABLB  SRIPWRKCKS. 


case  by  casting  lots.  They  did  ^o,  'i  i6  • ,  fell  upon  New- 
Enffland. 

Nearly  about  the  7th  of  November,  they  lost  their  rud- 
der, so  that  now  Iheir  only  dependence  was  upon  Provi- 
dence. In  this  deplorable  stateiihey  drove  up  and  down 
for  a  fortnight  ^ger.  During  the  last  six  vr«mkf  the 
poor  infirm  Mr.  How  was  hardly  ever  dry,  i.o.  a^a  he 
the  benefit  of  warm  food  above  thrice  or  thereabouts ! 

At  length,  about  the  21st  of  Novenaber,  early  in  the 
morning  the  vessel  *'as  driven  on  the  tailings  of  a  ledge 
of  rocks,  where  the  c;ca  broke  violently.  Looking  out, 
they  saw  a  dismpl,  r«)cky  island  to  the  leeward,  upon 
which,  if  Providt  nee  had  not  by  the  breakers  given  them 
timely  warning,  they  had  been  dashed  to  pieces.  They 
immediately  let  go  an  anchor,  and  got  out  the  boat,  and 
the  sea  became  calm.  TL  o  boat  proving  leaky,  and  they 
being  in  great  terror,  they  took  but  little  out  of  the  ketch, 
but  got  on  shore  as  they  could. 

Here  they  could  discover  neither  man  nor  beast.  It 
was  a  small,  rocky,  desolate  island,  near  cape  Sable,  the 
southern  extremity-  of  Nova  Scotia.  They  now  appeared 
to  be  in  great  danger  of  being  starved  to  death,  but  the 
storm  returning,  beat  so  violently  upon  the  vessel,  as  it 
still  lay  at  anchor,  that  it  was  stove  to  pieces,  and  seve- 
ral diings  floated  to  the  shore. 

The  following  articles  were  al!  they  had  towards  thnir 
future  support : — a  cask  of  guiipowaer,  which  received 
DO  damage  from  the  water ;  a  barrel  of  wine ;  half  a  bar- 
rel of  moTusses ;  several  useful  articles  towards  building 
a  tent :  all  the  above  drifted  from  the  wreck :  besides 
which  they  had  fire-arms  and  shot;  a  pot  for  boiling; 
and  most  pkobably  other  things  not  mention^  in  the 
narrative.  •^'^'^ 

Their  tent  was  soon  erected,  for  the  cc<'<  ras  now  get- 
ting severe,  but  new  and  great  distresses  intended  them, 
for  though  they  had  arms  and  ammunition,  there  were 
seldom  any  jwls  to  be  seen,  except  crows,  ravens,  and 
seagulls.  These  were  so  few,  that  they  could  seldom 
riioot  more  than  one  at  a  time.  Many  times  half  a  fowl, 
with  the  liquor  it  was  boiled  iu,  served  for  a  meal  for  a]| 


^iiitv 


■."afc''_k_i  .:J-itiili:t'^i^^' 


LOM  Of  TBI  TtANlPOET  HAirOONBB. 


HI 


three.  Ooce  they  lived  five  days  without  any  suste- 
nance, but  did  not  feel  themselves  pinched  With  hunger 
as  at  other  times ;  which  they  esteemed  a  specihl  favor 
of  Heaven  unto  them. 

When  they  had  lived  in  this  miserable  condition  twelve 
weeks,  Mr.  How's  dear  friend  and  compatiion.  Mr.  Au- 
gur, died,  about  the  middle  of  February,  1577;  so  that 
he  had  none  left  to  converse  with  but  the  lad,  who  like- 
wise departed  on  the  2d  of  April.  ^' 

Mr.  How  was  now  the  sole  inhabitant  of  this  desolate 
spot,  during  April,  May,  and  June,  and  saw  fishing  ve»> 
seis  every  now  and  then,  sailing  by ;  some  of  which 
came  even  nearer  to  the  island  than  that  which  at  last 
took  him  off.  He  used  all  the  means  in  his  power  to 
make  them  acquainted  with  his  distress ;  but  they  either 
did  not  see  him^  or  were  afraid  to  approach  close  to  the 
island,  lest  some  of  those  Indians  should  be  quartered 
there,  who  were  at  that  time  in  hostility  against  the 
English,  viz.,  the  North-east  Indians,  who  held  out  afltet 
the  dea^'  of  the  famous  Philip,  king  of  the  Wompa- 
noags. 

At  length  a  vessel  belonging  to  Salem,  in  New-Enff- 
land,  providentially  passed  by,  and  seeing  this  poor  fel- 
low, tney  sent  their  boat  on  shore,  and  took  him  -aWay. 
He  had  been  on  iLo  island  miore  than  seven  months,  and 
above  a  quarter  of  a  year  by  himself  On  the  18th  of 
July,  he  arrived  at  Salem,  and  at  last  returned  to  his 
family  at  New-Haven.  They  for  a  twelvemonth  bihld 
supposed  him  dead ;  by  which  it  appears  he  did  not  get 
home  till  the  end  of  August,  or  perhaps  later. 
i  m '  ■ :  ntfv 


LOSS  OF  THE  TRANSPORT  HARPOONER. 

''i-  V  ill  "  '      ,  " 

TnlTiired  transport  Harpooner  Wartost,  near  NeW- 
fnundland,  in  November,  1818;  she  had  on  board  three 
hundred  and  eighty-five  men,  women  and  children,  in- 
cluding the  ship's  company.  The  passengers  consisted 
of  detachments  of  several  regiments,  with  their  fkmilies, 
29* 


a48 


.awr 


tlMARKABt^B    SHIPWBICKS.  9'OI 


who  were  on  their  way  to  Quebec.  On  Saturday  eren* 
iiig,  November  lUth,  a  few  minutes  after  nine  o'clock,  the 
second  mate  on  watch  called  out,  "  the  ship  's  aground:" 
at  which  she  slightly  struck  on  the  outermost  rock  of  St 
Shotts,  in  the  iuana  of  Newfoundland.  She  beat  over, 
and  proceeding  a  short  distance,  she  struck  again,  and 
filled ;  encircled  among  rocks,  the  wind  blowing  strong, 
the  night  dark,  and  a  very  heavy  sea  rolling,  she  soon  fell 
over  on  her  larboard  beam  end ;  and,  to  heighten  the 
terror  and  alarm,  a  lighted  candle  communicated  fire  to 
some  spirits  in  the  master's  cabin,  which,  in  the  confu- 
sion, was  with  difiiculty  extinguished. 

The  ship  still  driving  over  the  rocks,  her  masts  were 
cut  away,  by  which  some  men  were  carried  overboard. 
The  vessel  drifted  ov'er,  near  the  high  rocks,  towards  the 
main.  In  this  situation,  every  one  became  terrified :  the 
suddenness  of  the  sea  rushing  in,  carried  away  the  berths 
and  stanchions  between  decks,  when  men,  women  and 
children  were  drowned,  and  many  were  killed  by  the 
force  with  which  they  were  driven  against  the  loose  bag- 
gage, casks,  and  staves,  which  floated  below.  All  that 
possibly  could,  got  upon  deck,  but  from  the  crowd  and 
confusion  that  prevailed,  the  orders  of  the  officers  and 
masters  to  the  soldiers  and  seamen  were  unavailing; 
death  stared  every  one  in  the  face ;  the  ship  striking  oh 
the  rocks,  as  though  she  would  instantly  upset.  The 
shcjeking  and  pressing  of  the  people  to  the  starboard 
side'  was  so  violent,  that  several  were  much  hurt. 
About  eleven  o'clock,  the  boats  on  the  deck  were  washed 
overboard  by  a  heavy  sea:  but  even  from  the  com- 
mencement of  the  disaster,  the  hopes  of  any  individual 
being  saved  were  but  very  small. 

Prom  this  time,  until  four  o'clock  the  next  morning, 
all  on  the  wreck  were  anxiously  praying  for  the  light  to 
break  upon  them.  The  boat  from  the  stem  was  in  the 
meanwhile  lowered  down,  when  the  first  mate  and  four 
seamen,  at  the  risk  of  their  lives,  pushed  off  to  the  shore. 
They  with  difficulty  efiected  a  landing  upon  the  main 
land,  behind  a  high  rock,  nearest  to  where  the  stem  of 
the  vessel  had  been  driven.    The  log-line  wis  thrown 


I 


'«# 


"•  I.;'.. 


LOSS  OF  TIIK  TU4^:>r0ftT   iUftrOONKB. 


843 


fVom  the  wreck,  with  a  hope  that  they  might  lay  hold 
of  it ;  hut  darkness,  and  the  tremendous  surf  that  beaf. 
rendered  it  impracticable.  Uuring  this  awful  time  or 
suspense,  the  possibility  of  sending  a  line  to  them  by  a 
doe  occurred  to  the  master ;  the  animal  was  brought  aft, 
and  thrown  into  the  sea  with  a  line  tied  round  his  mid- 
dle, and  with  it  he  swam  towards  the  rock  upon  which 
the  mate  and  seamen  were  standing.  It  is  impossible  to 
describe  the  sensations  which  were  excited  at  seeing  this 
faithful  dog  struggling  with  the  waves ;  and  on  reach- 
ing the  summit  of  the  rock  repeatedly  dashed  back  again 
by  the  surf  into  the  sea ;  until  at  length,  by  unceasing 
exertions,  he  effected  a  landing.  One  end  of  the  line  bO' 
ing  on  board,  a  stronger  rope  was  hauled  and  fastened 
to  the  rock. 

At  about  six  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  11th,  the 
first  person  was  landed  by  this  means ;  and  afterwards, 
by  an  improvement  in  rigging  the  rope,  and  placing  each 
individual  in  slings,  they  were  with  greater  facility  ex- 
tricated from  the  wreck ;  but  during  this  passage,  it  was 
with  the  utmost  difficulty  that  the  unfortunate  sufferers 
eould  maintain  their  hold,  as  the  sea  beat  over  them,  and 
tome  were  dragged  to  the  shore  in  a  state  of  insensibility. 
Lieutenant  Wilson  was  lost,  being  unable  to  hold  on  the 
rope  with  his  hands :  he  was  twice  struck  by  the  sea, 
feU  backwards  out  ot  the  slings,  and  after  swimming  for 
a  considerable  time  amongst  the  floating  wreck,  by  which 
he  was  struck  on  the  head,  he  perished.  Many  jrho 
threw  themselves  overboard,  trustmg  for  their  safei^  to 
swimming,  were  lost ;  they  were  dashed  to  pieces  by  the 
surf  on  the  rocks,  or  by  the  floating  pieces  of  the  wreck. 

Tho  rope,  at  length,  by  constant  working,  and  by 
swinging  across  the  sharp  rock,  was  cut  in  two:  and 
.  there  being  no  means  of  replacing  it,  the  spectacle  be-' 
came  more  than  ever  terrificj  the  sea  beating  over  the 
wreck  with  great  violence,  washed  numbers  overboard ; 
and  at  last  the  wreck,  breaking  up  at  the  stern  from 
midships  and  forecastle,  precipitated  all  that  remained 
into  one  common  destruction. 
^Tbe  pAting  of  the  ship  was  noticed  by  those  on  shor^ 


A     ^•■ 


"•.;,%         ;  " 


dU 


.^4. 


bubabkabls  sbipwbbcks. 


iij 


Hhd  s'sffiiAed  with  the  most  dreadful  cry  of  "Gofoi^i 
^ard  !'^  It  is  difficult  to  paint  thd  horror  of  the  scene ; 
children  cliriging  to  their  |mrcnts  for  help ;  parents  them- 
fielres  struggling  with  death,  and  stretching  out  their 
fbebie  airiiis  to  save  their  children,  dying  within  theit 
grasp.  V*^'"  «:'■■    ■ 

The  tofttt  ilitr^b^  of  persons  lost  wak  tM  Itttfidred 
and  eight,  tod  one  hundred  and  seTenty-sereti  were 
saved. 

■^i'  Lieutenant  Mylrea,  of  the  4th  Yeteran  Battalioti,  one 
of  the  oldest  subalterns  in  the  service,  and  then  upwards 
of  seventy  years  of  age,  was  the  last  person  who  quitted 
the  wreck ;  when  he  had  seen  every  other  person  either 
safe,  or  beyond  the  power  of  assistance,  he  threw  him- 
self on  to  a  rock,  from  which  he  was  afterwards  rescued. 

Among  the  sevei^est  sufferers,  was  the  daughter  of  sur- 
geoii  Armstrong,  who  lost  on  this  fatal  night  her  father, 
mother,  brother,  and  two  sisters. 

The  rock  which  the  survivors  were  landed  upon,  was 
about  one  hundred  feet  above  the  Water,  surrounded  at 
the  flowing  of  the  tide.  On  the  top  of  this  rock  they 
were  obliged  to  remain  during  the  whole  of  the  night, 
without  shelter,  food,  or  nourishment,  exposed  to  wina 
and  rain,  and  many  without  shoes.  The  only  comfort 
that  presented  itself  was  a  fire,  which  was  made  from 
pieces  of  ihe  wreck  that  had  been  'Washed  ashore. 
'^  At  daylight  on  the  morning  of  the  12th,  at  low.  water, 
their  removal  to  the  opposite  land  was  effected,  some  be- 
mg  let  down  by  a  rope,  others  slipping  down  a  ladder  to 
the  bottom.  After  they  crossed  over,  they  directed  thetr 
course  to  a  house  or  fisherman's  shed,  distant  a  mile  and 
a  half  from  the  wreck,  Where  they  remained  until  the 
next  day ;  the  proprietor  of  this  miserable  shed  not  bav- 
in <?  the  means  of  supplying  relief  to  so  considerable  a 
V  lOer  as  took  refuge,  a  party  went  over  land  to  Tre- 
passy,  about  fourteen  miles  distant,  through  a  marshy 
country,  not  inhabited  by  any  human  creature.  This 
party  arrived  at  Trepassy>  and  reported  the  event  to 
Messrs.  Jackson,  Burke,  Sims,  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Brown, 
who  immediately  took  measures  for  alleviating  the  dis- 


LOSS  OF  THB  BKIO  POLLT. 


340 


I 


tressed,  by  despatching  men  with  provisions  and  sf^rits^ 
and  to  assist  in  bringing  «|j[  ^Ijps^J&wwiawJ  to  Twi^ftMST 
who,  could  walk.  -'-•.-yf.  .1 ..;;.. •..,.■.:  •}  ^.u  '■  ■»_..;-.  i^j-ft  .f>Vf-' 

On  the  tSth,  in  tl.e  evening,  tlie  major  part  of  tb»<  sur- 
vivors (assisted  by  the  inhabitants,  who,  duiing  the 
journev  carried  the  weak  and  feeble  upon  their  backs) 
arrived  at  Trepassy,  where  they  were  Mletod,  by  order 
of  the  magistrate,  proportionably  upon  each  house^. ;  j^t; 

There  still  remained  at  St  ^otts,  the  wife  of  m  ser- 
vant of  the  Veteran  Battalion;  with  a  child,  of  which 
she  was  delivered  on  the  top  of  the  rocks  shortly  after 
she  was  saved.  A  private,  whose  leg  was  broken,  and 
a  woman  severely  bruised  by  the  wreck,  were  alaD  neoe8> 
sarily  left  there. 

Immediately  after  the  arrival  at  Trepassy,  measures 
were  adopted  for  the  comfort  and  refreshment  of  the  de- 
tachments, and  boats  were  provided  for  their  removal  to 
St  John's,  where  they  ultimately  arrived  in  sajfety.  .,-^. ,/ 


M- 


J2:*:>SS  OP  THE  BRIG  POLLY;;;;  ^ 

fTHB  Brig  Polly,  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  tons  bur- 
then) sailed  from  Boston,  with  a  cargo  of  lumber  and 
provisions,  on  a  voyage  to  Santa  Croix,  on  the  12th  of 
December,  1811,  under  the  command  of  Capt  W.  L. 
Cazneau — with  a  mate,  four  seamen  and  a  cook ;  Mr.  I. 
S.  Hunt,  and  a  negro  girl  of  nine  years  of  age,  passen- 
gpr«!.     Nothing  material  happened  until  the  15th,  wi./en 
they  had  cleared  cape  Cod,  the  shoal  of  Georges,  and 
nearly,  as  they  stipposed,  crossed  the  gulf  stream,  whea^ 
there  came  on  a  violent  gale  from  t^J  south-east,  in 
which  the  brig  labored  ve^y  hard,  which  p'^oduced  a  leak 
that  so  gained  on  the  pumps  as  to  sound  nearly  six  feet, 
— when  about  midnight  she  was  upset,  and  Mr.  Hunt 
washed  overboard  !    Not  having  any  reason  to  hope  for  > 
her  righting,    by  much  exertion  the  weather-lanyard*, 
were  cvit  away,  the  deck  load  having  been  before  thro wort 
ever,  ani  tlw  lashings  all  gopej  \i^,  aJlnpu^Mf  w.hftwi. 


j^:  V 


.^t 


..jp-4 


346^ 


RBMARKABLB  SHIPWRECKS. 


^the  mainmast  went  by  the  board,  and  soon  after,  the  fore- 
mast, when  she  righted,  though  full  of  water,  a  dreadful 
sea  making  a  fair  broach  over  her  from  stem  to  stem.— 
In  this  situatu>n  the  night  wore  away,  and  daylight 
found  all  alive  except  the  passengers,  and  upon  close 
-search,  the  little  girl  was  found  clinging  to  the  skylieht, 
and  so  saved  from  drowning  in  the  cabin.  The  glass 
and  grating  of  the  skyliffht  having  gone  away,  while  on 
her  beam  ends,  the  little  pirl  was  drawn  through  the 
openings,  but  so  much  chilled  that  she  survived  but  a 
few  hours.  In  this  situation  they  remained,  without 
fire,  ae^-'itear  as  the  captain  can  recollect,  twelve  days, 
when  the  cook,  an  Indian  from  Clan  ton,  near  Boston, 
suggested  the  operation  of  rubbing  two  sticks  together, 
which  succeeded.  Very  fortunately,  the  caboose  did 
not  g«>  overboard  with  the  deck  loaa :  this  was  got  to 
windward,  a  fire  kindled,  and  some  provisions  cooked, 
which  was  the  first  they  had  tasted,  except  raw  pork,  for 
the  wh'ole  time.  They  now  got  up  a  barrel  of  pork,  part 
of  a  barrel  of  beef,  ana  one  half  barrel  of  beef  A  small 
pig  had  been  saved  ahve,  which  they  now  dressed,  not 
having  any  thing  to  feed  it  with.  But  at  this  time  no 
apprehension  was  entertained  of  suffering  for  r  leat,  there 
being  several  barrels  stowed  in  the  run,  and  upwards  of 
one  hundred  under  dock.  With  this  impression,  the 
people  used  the  provisions  very  imprudently,  till  they  dis-' 
covered  that  the  stem-post  was  gone,  and  the  gale  conti- 
nuing for  a  long  time,  the  barrels  had  stove,  and  their 
contents  were  all  lost  forever. 

I^ere  happened  to  be  a  cask  of  water  lashed  on  the 
quarter-deck,  which  was  saved,  containing  about  thirty 
gallons ;  all  the  rest  was  lost.  This  lasted  about  eighteen 
days,  when  the  crew  were  reduced  to  the  necessity  of 
catching  what  rain  they  could,  and  having  no  more.  At 
the  end  of  forty  days,  the  meat  was  all  gone,  and  absolute 
famine  stared  them  in  the  face.  Tlie  first  victim  to  this 
destroyer  was  Mr.  Paddock,  the  mate,  whose  exquisite , 
distress  seemed  to  redouble  the  suffering  of  his  compa- 
nions. He  was  a  man  of  a  robust  constitution,  who  had 
spent  his  life  in  the  Bank  fishing,  had  suffered  many 


Jiitfc  ■ 


L088   OF    THE    BRIO   ?OLLT. 


347 


hfiirdships  and  appeared  the  most  capalble  olf  standing 
the  shocks  of  misfortitife  of  any  of  tne  crew.  In  the 
meridian  of  Hfe,  being  about  thirty-five  years  old,  it  vras 
reasonable  to  suppose  that,  instead  of  the  first,  he  would 
have  been  the  last  to  have  fallen  a  sacrifice  to  cold  and 
hunger :  but  Heaven  ordered  it  otherwise — ^he  became 
delirious,  and  death  relieved  him  from  his  sufferings  the 
fiftieth  day  of  his  shipwreck.  During  all  this  time,  the 
storms  continued,  and  would  often  overwhelm  them  so 
as  to  keep  them  always  drenched  with  sea- water,  having 
nothing  to  screen  them,  except  a  temporary  kiQ|^  ca- 
bin which  they  built  up  of  boards  between  thidHnlass 
and  nighthead  on  the  larboard  side  of  the  ^Kcaatle. 
The  next  who  sunk  under  this  horrid  press  of  disasters 
was  Howes,  a  young  man  of  about  thirty,  who  likewise 
was  a  fisherman  by  profession,  and  tall,  spare,  and  as 
smart  and  active  a  seaman  as  any  aboard.  He  likewise 
died  delirious  and  in  dreadful  distress,  six  days  after 
Paddock,  being  the  fifty-sixth  day  of  tha  wreck.  It  was 
soon  perceived  that  this  must  evidently  be  the  fate  of  all 
the  survivors  in  a  short  time,  if  something  was  not  done 
to  procure  water.  About  this  time,  good  luck,  or  more 
probably,  kind  Providence,  enabled  them  to  fish  up  the 
tea-kettle,  and  one  of  the  captain's  pistols ;  and  necessity, 
the  mother  of  invention,  suggestea  the  plan  of  distilla- 
tion. Accordingly,  a  piece  of  board  was  very  nJuH^y 
fitted  to  the  mouth  of  the  boiler,  a  small  hole  made  in  it, 
and  the  tea-kettle,  bottom-upwards,  fixed  to  the  upper 
side  of  the  board,  the  pistol-barrel  was  fixed  to  tLe  nose 
of  the  kettle  and  kept  cool  by  the  constant  application 
of  cold  water.  This  completely  succeeded,  and  the  sur- 
vivors, without  a  doubt,  owe  their  preservation  to  this 
simple  experiment.  But  all  that  could  be  obtained  by 
this  very  imperfect  distillation,  was  a  scanty  allowance 
of  water  for  five  men ;  yet  it  would  sustain  life  and  that 
was  all.  The  imprsssion  that  there  was  meat  enough 
under  the  deck,  induced  them  to  use  every  exertion  to 
obtain  it ;  but  by  getting  up  pieces  of  bone,  entirely  bare 
of  meat  and  in  a*  putrid  state,  they  found  that  nothing 
was  left  for  them  but  to  rely  on  Heaven  for  food,  and  be 


REMAHKABLE   SHIPWB^JM. 


contented  with  vrhatever  came  to  bandit  till  xelief  ekxp^id 
come.  Th^eir  only  sustenance  now,  was  barntclet  gar 
thered  from  the  sides  of  the  vessel  which  were  eaten  raw 
that  the  distilling  mi^ht  not  be  interrupted,  which  would 
give  them  no  more  than  four  wine  glasses  of  water  each 
per  day.  The  next  food  which  they  obtained  was  a  large 
shark  caught  by  means  of  a  running  bow-line.  This, 
was  a  very  great  relief  and  lasted  some  time.  Two  ad* 
vantages  arose  from  this  signal  interposition  of  kind  Pro- 
vidence ;  fc  while  they  lived  upon  their  shark,  the  bar- 
nacles were  growing  larger  and  more  nutritive.  They 
likeixttflj^nd  many  small  crabs  among  the  sea-weed 
whicn^R^  floated  around  the  wreck,  which  were  very 
pleail^ntiood.  6u.  from  the  necessity  of  chewing  then 
raw  and  sucking  out  the  nourishment,  they  brought  on  an 
obstinate  costiveness,  which  became  extremely  painful 
and  probably  much  exasperated  by  the  wa?it  of  water. 
On  the  15th  of  March,  according  to  their  computation, 
poor  Mbho,  the  cook,  expired,  evidently  from  want  of 
water,  though  with  much  less  distress  than  the  others 
and  in  thie  ^^^  exercise  of  his  reason :  he  very  devoutly 
prayed  and  appeared  perfectly  resigned  to  the  will  of  the 
God^  who  a£Q.icted  him.  Their  constant  study  was  di- 
rected to  the  improvement  of  their  still,  which  was  made 
much  better  by  the  addition  of  the  other  pistol  barrel, 
wUch  was  fpund  by  fishing  with  the  grain  they  made 
by  nxing  nails  into  a  piece  of  a  stave.  With  this  barrel 
they  so  far  perfected  the  still  as  to  obtain  eight  junk  bot- 
botfles  full  of  water,  in  twenty-four  hours.  But  from  the 
deatl)  of  Moho  to  the  death  of  Johnson,  which  happened 
abbut^  the  niiddle  of  April,  they  seemed  to  be  denied 
every  kind  of  food.  The  barnacles  were  all  gone,  and 
no  friendly  gale  w^ifted  to  their  side  the  sea- v^eed  from 
which  th<^  could  obtain  crabs  or  insects.  It  seemed  as 
if  all  hojie  was  gone  forever,  and  they  had  nothing  be- 
fore them  but  death,  or  the  horrid  alternative  of  eati  g 
the  fl^^f)  0f  their  dead  companion.  One  expedient  was 
left,  that  Was  to  try  to  decoy  a  shark,  if  happily  there 
might  be  one  about  the  wreck,  by  part  of  the  corpse 
of  tl|eir  shij;>mi|ite  !    Tl^js,  £:.upceeded,  aad  they  caught 


«     L<MM»  OF  TUK  BRIO  POLLY. 


3# 


a  large  sharks  and  from  that  time  had  many  fish 
tUl  their  happy  deliverance.  Very  fortunately,  a  caak,. 
of  nails  which  was  on  deck,  lodged  in  tlie  lea-scnpperSi 
.while  on  their  beam  ends :  with  these  they  were  enabled 
to  fasten  the  shingles  on  their  cabin,  which  by  constant 
improvement,  had  become  much  more  commodious,  and 
when  reduced  to  two  only,  they  had  a  better  supply  of 
water.  ...,..:;.-•.,.  ■.  ".,.  .;.,.„,  .■:#--'.t..,i.,, ■:...,...,:;^.,..:J.v;: -?  ii 

They  had  now  dxi^ed  abovei  two^oiisand  miles,  and 
were  in  latitude  28  North,  and  longitude  13  West,  when 
to  their  unspeakab^  joy  they  saw  three  ships  bearing 
down  upc-^  '^m.  The  ships  came  as  near  as  wea  con- 
venient, hen  hailed,  which  captain  Cazneau  an- 
swered ^*'ith  all  the  force  of  his  lum^s.  The  ship  which 
hailed,  y. "  ~d  to  be  the  Fame,  of  Hull,  captain  Feather- 
stone,  bound  from  Rio  Janeiro  home.  It  so  happened 
that  the  three  captains  had  dined  together  that  day  and 
were  all  on  board  the  Fame.  Humanity  immediately 
sent  a  boat,  which  put  an  end  to  the  dreadful  thraldom 
of  captain  Cazneau  and  Samuel  Badger,  the  only  sur- 
viving pe'rsont  who  were  received  by  these  humane^ 
Englishmen  with  exalted  sensibility.  Thus  was  ended 
the  most  shocking  catastrophe  which  oar  naval  history 
has  recorded  for  many  years,  after  a  series  of  distresses: 
from  December  15tli  to  the  20th  of  June,  a  period  of  one  > 
'  hundred  and  ninety-one  days !  Every  attention  wad: 
paid  to  the  sufferers  that  generosity  warmed  with  pity, 
and  fellow-feeling  could  dictate,  on  board  the  Fame. 
They  were  cherished,  comforted,  fed,  clothed  and  nursed 
until  the  9th  of  July,  when  they  fell  in  with  captain 
Perkins,  of  the  brig  Dromo,  in  the  chops  of  the  channel 
or  Englnnd,  who  generously  took  them  on  board  and 
carefully  perfected  the  work  of  goodness  begun  by  thoj 
generous  Englishmen,  and  safely  landed  them  in  Kenne- ; 
bunk. 

It  is  natural  to  inquire  how  they  could  float  such  a>> 
vast  distance  upon  the  most  frequented  part  of  the  At- 
lantic and  not  be  discovered  all  this  time?    They  werat 
passed  by  mo/o  than  a  dozen  sail,  (me.  of  wh-ch  came  son 
nigh  th^  that  thev  could  distinctly  see  the  people  on^^ 

30 


m 


380 


REMARKABLE   SHIPWRECKS. 


deck  and  oil  the  rigging  looking  at  them :  but  to  the  ia-f 
expressible  disappointment  of  the  starving  and  freezing 
men,  thev  stifled  the  dictates  of  compassion,  hoisted  sail, 
and  cruelly  abandoned  them  to  their  fate. 


TTt 


THE  LC5;i:  OP  fflS  MAJESTY'S  SHIP,  QUEEN 

4^;;,/  ,.^^  i4.,  .*^  .;    CHARLOTTE.     -•-  --^;ui-.f»--.^.  .>^'- 

'  Tta^  qu&^ju  Charlotte  was,  perhaps,  one  of  the  finest 
ship  the  British  navy.  She  was  launched  in  1790, 
and  hi  first  cruise  was  with  the  fieet  fitted  out  against 
Spain,  in  c  ■  '»equence  of  the  dispute  respecting  Nootka 
sound,  i.ord.  Howe,  who  was  the  commander  and 
chief  of  the  fleet;  Was  then  on  board  of  her ;  and  she  also 
bore  his  lordships  flag  on  the  first  of  June.  After  which 
she  was  sent  to  the  l^editerranean,  and  was  the  flag-ship 
of  the  commander-in-chief  on  that  station.  Ip  March, 
1800,  she  was  despatched  by  that  nobleman  to  reconnoi- 
tre the  island  of  Cabrera,  about  thirty  leagues  from  Leg-' 
horn,  then  in  the  possession  of  the  French,  and  which 
it  was  his  lordship's  intention  to  attack.  On  the  morn- 
ing of  the  17th,  the  ship  was  discovered  to  be  on  fire,  at 
the  distance  of  three  or  four  leagues  from  Leghorn. ' 
Eyery  assistance  was  promptly  forwarded  from  the 
shore,  but  a  number  of  boats,  it  appears,  were  deterred 
from  approaching  the  wreck,  in  consequence  of  the  guns, 
which  were  shotted,  and  which^  when  heated  by  the 
fire,  discharged  their  contents  in  every  direction. 

The  only  consolation  that  presents  itself  under  the 
pressure  of  so  calamitous  a  disaster  is,  that  it  was  not 
-the  efiect  eiUier  of  treachery  or  wilful  neglect,  as  will 
appear  by  the  following  official  statement  of  the  carpen- 
ter : — 

"Mr.  John  Braid,  carpenter  of  the  queen  Charlotte,' 
reports,  that  twenty  minutes  after  6  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing, as  he  was  dressing  himself  he  heard  throughout  the 
ship  a  general  cry  of  "fire."    On  which  he  immediately 


LOSS  OF  TBS  SHIP  QUBBN  OHABLOTTE. 


3»r 


f 


ran  up  the  after-ladder  to  get  upon  deck,  and  found  the 
whole  half-deck,  the  front  bulk-head  of  the  admiral's 
cabin,  the  main-mast's  coat,  and  boat's  corering  on  the 
booms,  all  in  flames ;  which,  from  every  report  and  pro- 
bability, he  apprehends  was  occasioned  by  some  hay, 
ix'hich  was  lying  under  the  half-deck,  hai^hg  been  set 
on  fire  by  a  match  in  a  tub,  which  was  usually  kept 
there  for  signal  guns. — The  main-sail  at  this  time  was 
set,  and  almost  entirely  caught  fire ;  the  people  not  being 
able  to  come  to  the  clue  garnets  on  account  of  the 
flames. 

"  He  immediately  went  to  the  forecastle,  and  Iband 
lieutenant  Dundas  and  the  boatswain  encouraging  the 
people  to  get  water  to  extinguish  the  fire.  Hj  applied 
to  Mr.  Dundas,  seeing  no  other  officer  in  the  forepart  of 
the  ship  (and  being  unable  to  see  any  on  the  quarter- 
deck, from  the  flames  and  smoke  between  them)  to  give 
him  assistance  to  drown  the  lower-decks,  and  secure  the 
hatches,  to  prevent  the  fire  falling  down.  Lieutenant 
Dundas  accordingly  went  down  himself,  with  as  many 
people  as  he  could  prevail  upon  to  follow  him :  and  the 
lower-deck  ports  were  opened,  tS^ie  scuppers  plugged,  the- 
main  and  fc  re-hatches  secured,  the  cocks  turned,  and 
water  drawn  in  at  the  ports,  and  the  pumps  kept  goinff 
by  the  people  who  caine  down,  as  long  as  they  could 
stand  at  them.  -'  '^'^^'"''^ 

{ "  He  thinks  that  by  these  exertions  the  lower-deck 
was  kept  free  from  fire,  and  the  magazines  preserved  for 
a  long  time  from  danger ;  nor  did  lieutenant  Dundas,  or 
he,  quit  this  station,  but  remained  there  with  all  the 
people  who  could  be  prevailed  upon  to  stay,  till  several 
of  the  middle-deck  guns  came  throLgh  that  deck. 

"  About  nine  o'clock,  lieuter^^ant  Dundas  and  he,  find- 
ing it  impossible  to  remain  any  longer  below,  went  out 
at  the  fore-most  lower  deck  port,  and  got  upon  the  fore- 
castle ;  on  which  he  apprehends  there  were  then  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  of  the  people  drawing  water,  and 
throwing  it  as  far  aft  as  possible  upcKi  the  fire. 

"  He  continued  about  an  hour  on  the  fore-castle ;  and 
finding  all  efforts  to  extinguish  the  flames  unavailing,  he 


'  / 


L 


«i||4BKiilU»  SlillWUlK*. 


■  Ki 


junpsd  ftom  the  jib-lyoom,  and  swaid  to  an  Americim 
Doal  appioacl»ing  the  ahip,  by  which  he  was  picked  up 
and  put  iptp  a  Tartan,  then  in  the  charge  of  lieatenant 
Stewart)  who  had  come  off  to  (he  assiataiioe  of  the  ship. 
;^.^!  (Signed)  m^u     "JOHN  BBAID/»^>^i 

I  Leghorn^  March  18,  ISOa 

Captaw  Todd  remained  upon  deck,  with  his  first 
lieutenants  to  the  last  moment,  giving  orders  for  saving 
the  crew,  without  thinking  of  his  own  safety.  Before  he 
fell  a  sacrifice  to  the  flames,  he  had  time  and  courage  to 
write  down  the  particulars  of  this  melancholy  event,  for 
the  information  of  lord  K,eith,  of  which  he  gave  copies  to 
different  sailors,  entreating  them,  that  whoever  should 
escape  might  deliver  it  to  the  admiral. 

Thus  fell  victims  to  perhaps  a  too  severe  duty,  the 
captain  and  his  first  lieutenant,  at  a  time  when  they  still 
ha4  it  in  their  power  to  save  themselves ;  but  self-pre-' 
servation  is  never  a  matter  of  consideration  in  the  ex- 
alted mind  of  a  British  naval  officer,  when  the  safety  <^ 
his  crew  is  at  stake.  ' 

.  liord  Keith  and  some  of  the  officers  were  providen- 
tially on  shore  at  Leghorn,  when  the  dreadful  accident 
occurred.  Twenty  commissioned  and  warrant  officers, . 
two  servants  and  one  hundred  and  forty-two  seamen, 
are  the  whole  of  the  crew  that  escaped  desrtuction  out 
oii  nearly  nine  hundred  souls  on  board,  that  for  nearly 
four  hours  exerted  every  nerve  to  avoid  that  dreadful 
tevmiuation  which  too  surely  awaited  them. 

_ ^  _, _  -ttot  E 


^^{U     |%'''fiiiW-f5' 


Loss  OF  THE  AMPHITRITE  CONYICT  SHIP. 


;i  ,Ths  following  particulars  of  the  loss  of  this  vessel  are 
corned  from  a  letter  dated  Boulogne-sur-mer,  September 
1,  1833. 

The  i^ocking  event  which  is  announced  by  the  title  to 
this  letter,  has,  I  assure  you,  filled  the  town  with  dis- 
may, and  must  lawi  to  a  most  narrow  and  ligid  invasti- 
gation.    I  cannot  attempt  to  describe  the  afiyctions  not 


LOSS  or  TU  AMrHITftlTI  COIITICT  SHIP. 


only  of  the  English,  bnt  the  Pr  'h,  at  this  mostdlis- 
Iressinff  event,  and  I  only  expres:i  *he  general  opinion 
when  I  say  that  the  Bri*«sh  pabUu  demands  that  an  in- 
quiry be  instituted  into  the  conduct  of  all  pailies  con- 
cerned in  this  deplorable  affair.  At 

The  Amphitrite  convict  ship  sail^  for  Nev  South 
Wales  from  Woolwich  on  the  25th  of  August.  Captain 
Hunter  was  the  compnander ;  Mr.  Forrestir  the  fuit^  don; 
and  there  were  one  hundred  and  eight  female  convicts, 
twelve  children,  and  a  crew  of  sixteen  persons.  The 
captain  was  part  owner  of  the  vessel.  7hc.*  the  ship 
arrived  off  Dungenr  ^,  tne  gale  of  the  29th  beg  n.  On 
Friday  morning  thi  .aptain  hove  the  ship  to,  the  gale 
being  too  heavy  to  sail.  The  vessel  was  about-  three 
miles  to  the  east  from  Boulogne  harbor  on  Saturday  at 
noon,  when  they  made  land.  Ihe  captain  set  the  top- 
sail and  main-foresail  in  hopes  of  keeping  her  off  shore. 
..(t  From  three  o'clock  she  was  in  sight  of  Boulogne,  and 
certainly  the  sea  was  most  heavy  and  the  wind  extremely 
strong ;  but  no  pilot  boat  went  out  to  her,  and  im  life- 
boats or  other  assistance  were  dispatched.  I  observed 
her  from  three  o'clock  till  about  half  past  four  in  the 
afternoon,  when  she  came  round  into  Boulogne  harbor 
and  struck  on  the  sands.  By  four  o'clock  it  waf  rnowi 
that  it  was  a  British  ship,  but  some  said  it  was  -  brif^; 
others  said  it  was  a  merchant  vessel,  though  al?  said  it 
was  English. 

It  appears  from  the^  statement  of  three  men  who  have 
been  saved  out  of  the  crew — all  the  rest  having  perish- 
ed— that  the  captain  ordered  the  anchor  to  be  let  go,  in 
hopes  of  swinging  round  with  the  tide.  .^^ 

In  a  few  minutes  after  the  vessel  had  gone  aft.  und, 
multitudes  rushed  to  the  beach,  and  a  brave  French  sai- 
lor, named  Pierre  Henin,  who  has  already  received  the 
thanks  of  the  Humane  society,  of  London,  addressed 
himself  to  the  captain  of  the  port,  and  said  that  h  ws&s 
resolved  to  go  alone,  and  to  reach  the  vessel,  in  order  to 
tell  the  captain  that  he  had  not  a  moment  to  lose,  but 
must,  as  it  was  low  water,  send  all  his  crew  and  paa- 

sengers  on  shore.    ,'-f^BiwitK-<'^txi'im  ■s-jwfS'T  ^mr  ••■"inmi 
30* 


v'^'^i;;. 


884 


.**  HSMABKABLI  SR'^'    IKOKiP  >t«^>  ' 


Vmi  will  lecollect  th:;i  ap  to  th«  time  of  heir  running 
aground  no  measure  was  adopted,  and  the  captain  was 
not  warned  from  shore  of  her  danger. 

As  soon  as  she  had  stnick,  however,  a  pilot-boat,  com- 
manded by  Francois  Heuret,  who  has  on  many  occa- 
sions shown  much  courage  and  talent,  was  dispatched, 
and  by  a  little  after  five  came  under  her  bows.  The 
captain  of  the  vessel  refused  to  avail  himself  of  the  as- 
sistance  of  Heuret  and  his  brave  companions,  and  when 
a  portion  of  the  crew  proposed  going  on  shore  the  captain 
prevented  them.  Two  of  the  men  saved,  state  that  they 
Knew  the  boat  was  under  the  bows,  but  that  the  rest 
were  below  making  up  their  bundles.  The  crew  could 
then  have  got  on  shore  and  all  the  unfortunate  women 
and  children. 

When  the  French  boat  had  gone,  the  surgeon  sent  for 
Owen,  one  of  th^  'crew,  and  ordered  him  to  get  out  the 
long-boat.  This  was  about  half  past  five.  The  surgeon 
discussed  the  matter  with  his  wife  and  with  the  captain. 
They  were  afraid  of  allowing  the  prisoners  to  go  on 
shore.  The  wife  of  the  s^;tiTge<>n  is  said  to  have  propos- 
ed to  leave  the  convicts  ibeio,  and  to  go  on  shore  with- 
out them. 

In  consequence  of  the  discussion,  no  long-boat  was 
sent  out.  Three  of  the  convict  women  told  Owen,  that 
they  heard  the  surgeon  persuaded  the  captain  not  to  ac- 
cept the  assistance  of  the  French  boat,  on  account  of  the 
prisoners  who  were  on  board. 

Let  us  now  return  to  Pierre  Henin.  The  French 
pilot-boat  had  been  refused  by  the  surgeon  and  captain 
— the  long-boat  had  been  put  out,  through  a  discussion 
as  to  saving  the  convicts — and  it  was  now  nearly  six 
o'clock.  At  that  time  Henin  went  to  the  beach,  stripped 
himself,  took  a  line,  swam  naked  for  about  three  quar- 
ters of  an  hour  or  an  hour,  and  arrived  at  the  vessel  at  a 
little  after  seven.  On  reaching  the  right  side  of  the  ves- 
sel, he  hailed  the  crew,  and  said,  "  Give  me  a  line  to 
conduct  you  on  land,  or  you  are  lost,  as  the  sea  is  com- 
ing in."  He  spoke  English  plain  enough  to  be  heard. 
He  touched  the  vessel  and  told  them  to  speak  to  the  cap- 


-■%* 


■;*.; 


LOSS  01.  Xai  4IIPWTBITB  OONTIOT  SHIP 


tain.  They  threw  (that  is,  some  of  the  crew,  but  not 
the  surgeon  or  captain^  two  lines,  one  from  the  stern  and 
one  from  the  bow.  Tne  one  from  the  stern  lie  could  not 
8eize>^the  one  from  the  bow  he  did.  He  then  went  to- 
wards the  shore,  but  the  rope  was  stopped.  TV'  vas, 
it  is  believed,  the  act  of  the  surgeon  and  capt:  lo 

(Henin)  then  swam  back,  and  told  them  to  gi  ..ii 
more  rope  to  get  on  shore.     The  captain  anrJ  on 

would  not.  They  then  tried  to  haul  him  in,  m  Mt 
streiigth  failed  and  he  got  on  shore. 

You  perceive,  then,  that  up  to  this  moment  aluo  the 
same  obstacle  existed  in  the  minds  of  the  captain  and 
surgeon.  They  did  not  dare,  without  authority,  to  laud 
the  convicts,  and  rather  than  leave  them  on  board,  or 
land  them  without  such  authority,  they  perished  with 
them. 

M  The  female  convicts,  who  were  battened  down  under 
the  hatches,  on  the  vessel's  running  aground,  broke 
away  the  half  deck  hatch,  and  frantic,  rushed  on  deck. 
Of  course  they  entreated  the  captain  and  surgeon  to  let 
them  go  on  shore  in  the  long-boat,  but  they  were  not 
listened  to,  as  the  captain  and  surgeon  did  not  feel  au- 
thorized to  liberate  prisoners  committed  to  their  care. 

At  seven  o'clock  the  flood  tide  began.  The  crew  see- 
ing that  there  were  no  hopes,  clung  to  the  rigging.  The 
poor  one  hundred  and  eight  women  and  twelve  children  re- 
mainedon  deck,  uttering  the  most  piteous  cries.  The  ves- 
sel was  about  three  quarters  of  a  mile  English  from  the 
shore,  and  no  more.  Owen,  one  of  the  three  men  saved, 
thinks  that  the  women  remained  on  deck  in  this  state 
about  aL  hour  and  a  half  Owen  and  four  others  were  . 
on  the  spars,  and  thinks  they  remained  there  three  quar- 
ters of  an  hour,  but,  seeing  no  hope  of  being  saved,  he 
took  to  swimming,  and  was  brought  in  a  state  of  insensi- 
bility to  the  hotel.  Towsey,  another  of  the  men  saved, 
was  on  a  plank  with  the  captain.  Towsey  asked  who 
he  was  7  He  said  "I  am  the  captain,"  but  the  next 
moment  he  was  gone.  Rice,  the  third  man,  floated 
ashore  on  a  ladder.  He  was  in  the  aft  when  the  other 
men  took  to  the  raft.    When  the  French  pilot-boat  row-; 


I  I 


W1 


Atc*L  ,m^  dd  _ 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I.I 


11.25 


|io   "^"     M^H 

^  ti&   12.0 

ilBI 

*■    I. 
muu 


^ 


^/ 


^W  .1 


Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


\ 


V 


s? 


<^ 


>^ 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


^ip 

^ 


[n 


O^ 


•mm  mmiuaauMM  mmwtmtm  ■■^^^^^ 


«a  9>wkf,  after  htitk^  N§iet«d  hf  the  eapftain,  li«  (Rie#1 
■aw  a  man  waring  his  hat  on  the  beach,  and  romatkM 
to  the  captain  that  a  gentleman  was  waving  to  thtom  to 
come  on  thofe.  The  captain  tnrned  away  and  mode  nc 
answer.  At  that  moosent  the  woiiien  all  disappcai«d, 
the  s^  broke  in  two. 

These  are  the  fikots  of  this  awlbl  ease.  The  French 
Marine  Homaue  society  immediately  placed  hundreds 
oi  men  on  the  beaoh ;  Mid  the  oflce,  or  lodf^ng,  being 
close  to  the  shore,  as  soon  as  the  corpses  were  picked  up 
they  were  brought  to  the  rooms,  wlwre  I  assisted  many 
of  my  couDUymcfi  in  endeavoring  to  restore  them  to 
life.  Oiu  e^oitB  were  fruitless^  except  in  the  cases  of  the 
three  men,  Owen,  Rice,  and  Towsey.  I  never  saw  so 
many  Ane  and  bcAutiAil  bodies  in  my  life.  Some  of  the 
womMi  were  the  most  perfectly  made ;  and  French  and 
English  wept  together  at  such  a  horrible  loss  of  life  in 
sight  of<— ay,  and  even  close  to,  the  port  and  town. 
Body  after  body  has  been  brought  in.  More  than  Sixty 
have  been  found  f  they  will  be  buried  to-morrow.  But 
Idas!  after  all  our  efibrts,  only  three  lives  have  been  sav- 
ed out  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-six. 


$cmAm^0^^0^- 


■1l*i 


■Xii 


^^'H, 


ki  ^-ti'j.: 


i'^- 


L0«3  OP  THE  LADY  OP  THE  LAKE. 


« 


■•w 


**r 


''--'■■  Thk  fillip  Lady  of  the  Lake,  sailed  from  Belfast,  on 
the  8th  of  April  1833,  bound  to  Quebec,  with  two  hun- 
dred and  thirty  passengers.  The  following  particulars 
were  famished  by  captaitk  Grant. 

On  the  lltii  May,  in  latitude  46.  50,  north,  and  longi- 
tude 47.  10,  west,  at  five  A.  M.,  steering  per  compass 
W.  a  W.  with>  strong  wiiid  at  N.  N.  E.  #e  fell  ikt  with 
several  pieces  of  ice;  at  eight,  A.  M.  ttie  ice  getting 
ctosi^r,  I  judged  it  prudent  to  haul  the  ship  out  to  the 
eastward  unoer  easy  sail  to  avoid  it ;  while  endeavoring 
to  pass  between  two  large  pieces,  a  tongue  under  water 
in  the  lee  iee  struck  our  starboard  bow  and  stove  it  en- 
tiMly  iA*    We  immediately  W(»re  the  ship  round,  expeel^ 


-,.; 


« ■ 


<^  jQfr  T9fJ#i»f  Of  TBI  un. 

Ing  to  get  the  leak  out  of  ^e  water,  but  did  nolnieceed; 
^e  ship  now  filling  iftst,  the  inate,  vfiih  seven  or  eight 
of  tlie  crew,  got  into  the  stem-hoat — «|ter  getting  bre»4* 
beef,  compass,  &c.  &«.  we  palled  away  to  the  north- 
west— the  scene  that  then  took  place  is  beyond  descrip- 
tion; after  getting  the  long-boat  out,  the  passengers 
crowded  into  her  with  such  mad  desperation,  that  she 
was  twice  ups^  alon^i^pA,  drowiiipg  about  eighty  of 
them,  t  now  attenipfed  to  save  my  own  life  and  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  the  boat  clear  of  the  ship  half  full  of 
water,  ^im  thirtv-three  souls  in  her,  without  oars,  sails, 
or  a  mioiittiful  of  provisions.  The  last  time  I  saw  the 
bri^,  (the  ice  coming  between  her  and  us)  she  was  sunk 
up  to  the  tops,  and  about  thirty  of  the  passensers  in  the 
main-top-mast  rigging.  We  then  tried  to  pull  after  the 
other  boat,  with  the  bottom  boards  and  thufts,  but  got 
beset  with  the  ice.  We  now  expected  a  worse  fate  than 
those  who  were  in  the  vessel,  viz.  to  perish  with  cold 
and  hunger.  The  next  morning  the  wind  changed  to 
the jvest ward  and  we  got  clear  of  most  of  the  ice.  We 
then  pulled  to  the  eastward,  in  the  faint  hope  of  some 
vessel  picking  us  up,  and  at  noon  saw  a  brig  lying-to 
under  her  two  top-sails — at  four  got  on  board  of  her,  and 
found  the  crew  just  leaving  her,  the  brig  in  the  same 
state  as  our  own,  sinkine.  lYe,  however,  got  some  pro- 
visions out  of  her;  and  there  being  a  boat  lying  on  her 
^ecks,  I  eot  part  of  the  passengers  out  of  our  own  boat 
into  it.  In  tne  course  of  the  night  it  came  on  to  blow 
from  the  south-west  and  the  other  boat  foundered.  All 
that  now  remained  alive,  to  the  best  of  my  belief  or 
knowledge;  out  of  a  crew  and  passengers  of  two  hundred 
and  eighty,  is  myself,  one  seaUMHi*  two  boys,  nine  male 
passengers  and  two  female,  fift^n  in  all.  At  noon  on 
th^  14tn,  we  fell  in  with  the  master  and  mate  of  the  brig 
Harvest  Home,  of  Newcastle,  the  vessel  we  Had  pre-^ 
viously  been  on  board  oty  and  on  the  evening  of  the 

re  day  both  got  on  board  of  a  loaded  brig  bound  to 
Johns,  Newfoundland,  after  we  had  be^  seventy- 
five  hours  in  an  open  boat,  half-dressed,  wet.  and  frost 
bitteiji ;  ne^t  ^ruing,  I,  ivith  the  xemaw4^  of  |he  q»w 


Mi 


IBHAilKABLft  fBIPW 


and  passengers,  left  the  brig  and  was  kindly  received  on 
board  the  ship  Amazon,  of  Hull,  bound  to  Quebec^  wbe^ 
"we  arrived  in  safety. 


H»  m  "r 


LOSS  OF  THE  BRITISH  BRtG  JESSE. 


/ 


^  Tab  following  are  the  particulars  respecting  the  wreck 
of  the  British' shi|)  or  brig  Jesse,  captain  Gili^ur,  under 
very  distressing  circumstances : — 

The  Jesse,  timber  laden,  left  St.  John's,  Newfound- 
land, on  the  14th  of  May,  1835,  for  Belfast,  and  on  the 
t7th,  encountered  a  heavy  gale,  which  strained  the  ves- 
sel, and  occasioned  her  to  make  a  great  deal  of  water. 
No  danger  "Was  i^rehended  till  the  25th  of  May,  when 
a:  tremendous  gale  sprang  up  from  the  North  ana  East, 
and  the  ship  Was  hove  to  unaer  close  reefed  maintopsai] 
and  storm  trysail— iall  hands  pumping,  but  the  water^till 
gained  on  her  and  she  shipped  some  heavy  seas.  ^ 

On  Sunday,  34th  of  May,  although  all  hands  were  "■ 
the  pumps,  the  leaks  still  increased;  at  half  past  elevl^ 
A.  M.,  had  reached  the  cabin  floor.  A  few  buckets  ot 
bread  were  got  out  of  the  cabin,  also  a  barrel  of  bread 
and  a  cask  of  water,  all  of  which  were  hoisted  into  the 
maintop.  The  captain  ordered  the  long-boat  to  be  cleaTr 
ed.  On  Monday,  the  vessel  began  to  break  up  rapidly, 
and  the  cargo  to  float  out ;  about  nihe,  P.  M.,  the  foremast 
fell  through  the  bottom,  until  brought  up  by  the  lower 
yiLrd  resting  on  the  rail.  About  half  an  hour  afterwards, 
the  mainmast  got  out  of  the  step,  and  shortly  after,  was 
carirl^  away  a  few  feet  above  the  deck ;  by  tjbis  accident, 
tbeproi^ions  secured  in  the  foretop  were  lost 

The  captai^  and  crew,  fifteen  m  number,  with  six 
steerage  passengers,  then  embarked  in  the  long-boat, 
With  about  five  gallons  of  water,  a  few  pieceis  of  sail 
beef,  and  a  little  oread  so  saturated  with  salt  water,  that 
H  was  of  the  consistency  of  pap;  a  dog  was  also  taken 
itito  the  bottt,  which;  in  die  sequel,  they  killed,  and  th* 


-^^1 


M:i^r^m 


LOSS  OF  THB  BBITI8H  BRIO  JBS8B.  Wt 

flesh  devoured,  after  drinking  his  blood,  which  afforded 
them  great  rehe^. 

The  compass  was  ui^fortunately  broken  in  putting  it 
into  the  boat,  so  that  they  had  nothing  to  steer  by,  hut 
the  stars  and  the  sun.  This  occurred  in  lat.  41  30  N. 
long.  25  20  W. — cape  Rae  being  about  four  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  distant.  From  the  time  of  leaving  the  ship, 
until  the  Saturday  following,  May  30,  the  boat  was  kept 
before  the  wind,  a  heavy  sea  running  all  the  time,  which 
threatened  to  swamp  the  long-boat. 

On  this  day,  James  Savage,  seaman,  became  insanii 
and  jumped  overboard,  all  efforts  to  save  him  were  unar 
vaiiiug.  Shortly  after,  James  Robinson,  seaman,  expired, 
and  on  the  next  day,  William  Robinson,  the  cook,  also 
d'eJ.  On  Monday,  Mrs.  McCartney,  pamenger,  and  ki| 
two  infant  children,  expired,  exhausted  with  their  saStnh 
ings ;  on  Tuesday,  Samuel  Nugent,  a  passen^r^  Jamei 
S(K>tt,  apprentice,  and  William  Savage,  apprentice,  died. 

On  Wednesday,  at  three,  P.  M.,  saw  a  sail  to  the  E. 
N.  E.  which  proved  the  Ythan,  of  New-Castle,  captain 
W.  Davidson,  who  received  the  survivors,  twelve  in 
number,  on  boar  Hugh  Macanelly,  seaman,  died 
shortly  after,  and  on  Thursday,  4th  of  June,  John  Mullin, 
seaman.  On  the  Wednesday  following,  10th  of  Jun^ 
Charles  Stevens,  Robert » Jones,  ).  McKnabb,  were  put 
on  board  the  Wansbeek,  captain  Young.  The  remain- 
der have  since  arrived ;  two  have  been  sent  to  the  ho8pir> 
tal,  and  thie  others  are  still  in  a  weak  state,  from  theit 
sufferings.  The  whole  of  those  who  died,  drank  sail 
water  to  excess,  and  became  insane  before  death  ensue^ 
'■  The  following  is  a  list  of  the  survivors  ;■— Capt.  GU- 
mour,  W.  Kelley,  first  mate,  Hugh  ^nith,  second  da^ 
John  McKnabb,  carpenter,  Charles  Stevois,  R.  Jonel^ 
Alexander  Stuart,  seaman,  and  Andrew  Close,  appreu^ 
tice ;  Samuel  McCartney,  husband  and  father  of  the  fe- 
male  and  children  who  died  in  the  boat,  and  Margaret 
Crouch  passengers.  McCartney  has  since  been  taken  to 
Uie  marine  hospital,  in  a  very  exhausted  state,  as  hav« 
two  of  the  crew. 


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